Sleeper
by azurefang
Summary: What does Stefan do with his time while in the depth of the watery grave? For one thing, he thinks about people he knows, as well as Silas, so there will be mention of various characters.
1. Chapter 1

SLEEPER

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries does not belong to me.

_A/N I had this idea for a story, so I thought I would try it out and see what you all think. _

_What does Stefan do with his time while in the depths of the watery grave? For one thing, he thinks about the people he knows, so there will be mention of various characters. Of course, at this point, I don't know what the TV show will do with Stefan. In addition, I have Bright House for my cable and at this time, they have dropped the CW! Horrors!_

Chapter 1

Stefan lay there, his eyes closed, not breathing, his heart not beating. Except for a slight hum in his ears, there was silence. Without opening his eyes, he knew there was nothing but darkness. Cold, wet darkness.

If it were not for the fact that his vampire's nose could close itself off, he would have water all the way down to his lungs, but his nose was reliable. It was surprising that he didn't have water in his lungs anyway. When he had first been plunged into the depths, he had panicked. That had been foolish, but he had been so angry and so afraid.

He had immediately sent out mental distress calls to anyone who might hear them. Of course, that had included Silas, who had put him in this situation, but he had taken the chance Damon or someone else might hear him.

With considerable effort, he had gotten some control over his emotions and shut them off. They were not helping him. He hadn't known how long he would be confined to his watery prison before someone - Damon or Elena, maybe - would find where he was and haul him out. It could be quite a while.

Finally able to think logically, he had known that he needed to put himself into the deep "sleep" of the vampire, the suspended animation state he was capable of attaining. In that state, his body would change little over quite a long period of time. He would not start to desiccate from lack of blood, which would happen if he physically struggled or if he let his heart pound, or even if he stayed awake and used energy to rage in frustration.

So he had slept. What had wakened him? He had no idea how much time had passed. A day? A week. Could be a year or more. He felt alright, cold, but not stiff or sore. He wished he knew what was happening to Damon and those he knew. Were they even looking for him? Maybe they thought he had gone away. Maybe they were not thinking about him at all. _No,_ he told himself. _Don't worry about that. It doesn't matter. _Still, it was obvious, no one as yet had pulled him up out of the water. He would just have to keep waiting.

How ironic that it was he who was in this watery "grave." He had meant for it to be Silas. He and the others had grossly underestimated the ancient one's abilities. They had also had no idea what he truly looked like. Well, Stefan now did. Never in this world had Stefan ever thought he was a doppelganger. How was that even possible? Had Silas fathered children at some long ago time? Wouldn't it have had to be so in order for him, Stefan, to be a descendant and doppelganger?

Or had Silas lied to him? It was well-known that the immortal man could appear as anyone he wanted to be. He could fool people. Was he out there now pretending to be Stefan and fooling everyone? Would Damon or Elena see through the ruse?

It was also ironic that he now lay in this situation while the hybrid Klaus walked around. Hadn't they plotted to incapacitate the Original, put him in a coffin and dump him in the ocean? Well, that had not worked out, thanks to Bonnie.

As good a friend as Bonnie was, she was not entirely trust-worthy. Not where vampires were concerned. She had her weaknesses and it seemed that everyone took advantage of them. She also had great strengths and talent, and everyone took advantage of those, too. Stefan knew that. How often had he called on her to help him or someone else out of a situation? And how often had she become upset about it?

He wished he knew how much time had passed. He hadn't intended to be "asleep" for a long period. Not initially, anyway. If he sent out mental messages now, who was out there to hear? Were Damon and Elena still in Mystic Falls? Was Caroline? Hadn't Klaus gone to New Orleans and Elijah with him? Was Rebekah still around?

Also, was he too deep in the water to be heard? He knew from his initial struggles that he could not escape from his "tomb." The water was deep and he had intended that fact to help keep Silas from escaping or sending out mental signals.

He didn't want to use much of his reserve energy by sending out his own signals, but he decided to do it once again. He concentrated on beaming out a distress call, not really in words, but a strong feeling. Along with it, he sent a picture of his location. When done, he stopped. It took a lot of energy to do the distress call.

He told himself to relax, to be at ease. He realized that his heart had started to beat and he made it stop. It used energy like a cell phone that depleted its battery if left on without a recharge. He wished he could phone out for help, but that wasn't possible. He wished he wore a watch with a date, but he didn't. Something about the vampire body made watches run erratically, but not cell phones. He didn't understand it, but he had to accept it. The one time he had tried a digital watch, it had constantly lost time, while even old-fashioned wind-up watches lost time.

What was Elena doing now? Did she still have her emotions turned on? Was she still attracted to Damon? Stefan didn't like to think of that, but his mind somehow envisioned the two of them in Damon's bed. This disturbing mental scene including Damon lying on top of the girl, his body moving between her slender legs. She was moaning until he pressed his lips to hers.

Stefan mentally swore and made himself stop imagining the scene. What was he doing to himself by creating an image like that? For all he knew, Damon and Elena had gone separate ways. Maybe one of them was not even in town anymore. Despite trying to keep his emotions under strict control, he felt his heart start beating again and his groin responding to the images he was still trying to erase from his mind. Damn, he thought, suppressing his body's reactions. Why did he still love Elena? Why couldn't he just shake it off as an infatuation that had lasted a good two years and was over now?

He had fallen for other girls before, although not as strongly. Even when he had had his emotions turned off, he had been attracted to certain ones. Mostly for feeding, but also for sex. Unfortunately, he had killed some of them. When he had had his emotions turned on, he had really been attracted to some now and then. Although he was not a womanizer like Damon was, he had still spent plenty of time in the beds (or assorted other locations) of quite a few. He liked women. He liked sex. Why shouldn't he?

His thoughts jumped to Klaus. He didn't really want to think about the hybrid, but the truth was that he had spent a summer travelling with the man and, against Stefan's preference, had participated in an intimate relationship. The hybrid was bisexual, enjoying intimate contact with either sex. Stefan wasn't a virgin in that department, but it wasn't his preference. Klaus hadn't cared about his preference.

What would he say if right now Klaus showed up and rescued him on the condition that they resume that personal contact? Assuming that it might be a brief arrangement, Stefan knew that he would agree to it. He would rather be with the hybrid than stuck in this watery grave.

What if Katherine agreed to save him on the same terms? Yes, he would accept that. He would take her over Klaus any day, even though both of them were devious, controlling and selfish.

Damn, why hadn't someone found him yet? Did Silas ever come back just to see if he was still down in the depths? Would Silas ever come down into the depths just to torment him? Silas was capable of mental telepathy, especially the ability to force people to see him as someone else. With that kind of powerful mind control, wasn't he able to talk to him? Perhaps that was what had woken him.

_Silas, are you out there?_ he asked mentally. _Speak to me. What's going on? What are you doing?_

_Hello, Stefan. I thought you were in deep sleep. It took you long enough to figure out you could talk to me this way. How are you? _came a teasingtone.

_Silas, damn you, how long am I going to be down here? _Stefan asked, vastly relieved that the ancient one had actually answered. He was not totally cut off from theworld!

_Most likely a long time, dear boy_, Silas said with a chuckle.

_What's going on up there? How long have I been down here?_

When there was no immediate answer, he mentally called, _Silas? _No answer._ Silas? Silas! _The lack of an answer was frustrating. _Silas! Damn it!_

When no answer came in what seemed like an hour, Stefan felt lonely and abandoned. He thought it would have been better if Silas had not answered him at all. It had been mean and cruel. It left Stefan wanting contact again and there was a renewed feeling of futility, of hopelessness. Desperate and hating the feeling, he shut himself down and went into deep sleep again.

_A/N Well, what do you think? I'm not sure where I should go with this. Should Stefan spend his time remembering things from the past? Should Silas return just to taunt him? Should Silas tell him some of what is happening? Of course, I won't know what develops until the series starts again. Please comment._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_A/N Here is another chapter. I'm not sure where this is going._

"_Damin, lemme go. Get off me."_

"_No."_

_ "I'm cold. I wanna go in the house."_

_ "Don't whine."_

_ "Lemme up."_

_ "No"_

_ "I'm gonna tell! I'm gonna tell Mama!"_

_ "No, you're not. Don't be a tattle-tale."_

_ "Get off me! There's snow down my back. I'm cold. Please!"_

_ "You are such a whiner. Don't you dare cry!"_

_ "Lemme go! Please! You heavy."_

_ "Stefan, did you just mess in your pants? You're such a baby, Mr. Stinky Pants."_

_ "I am not a baby! Mama! Mama! Damin won't lemme get up! I'm so cold!"_

Stefan opened his eyes to the cold, dark water. His heart was pounding as he remembered the dream. It had seemed so real. It had actually happened, but he had been barely three years old at the time. He had been wrestling with his big brother in the snow, but sometimes Damon played rough.

When he was small, Damon had not liked him very much, Stefan was sure. It was probably because he had sometimes been a whiney little brother, who stole Damon's toys and bit him. Stefan assumed it was his fault that the older boy had treated him with a short temper. Later, Damon had been more loving and protective, a good brother and one Stefan loved.

Now, here he was in the cold water, deep under the surface and closely confined. Damon's help now would be greatly appreciated. He closed his eyes because there was nothing to see. He was able to see well in the dark of night, but at night, there was usually light from somewhere, even if it was just from stars. Where he was now was total darkness.

His heart was thumping from the dream and he made it stop. His mouth was dry, so he parted his lips just a little and let some of the cold water seep in. _Oh, gross! _He had forgotten that he had had a full bladder the last time he was awake. It wasn't full now.

And the water quality was worse than that. Because he normally ate some real food and drank some beverages, in addition to the animal blood that he usually consumed, his digestive system worked. He had to use the toilet on a regular basis. When a vampire suspected that he was in for a long spell of no food, water or blood, it was best to have an empty colon. On the other hand, pooping in one's pants while entombed in water was not a great idea, either. He mentally muttered a curse.

So, the water was impure, but his mouth was no longer dry. Worse things had happened to him. At least contaminated water would not make him sick; it was one of the perks of being a vampire. He was well-aware that millions of people around the world did not have access to clean drinking water.

He wondered what had woken him. In deep sleep, he normally didn't dream, so he had to assume that in order to dream he had been coming up from the deep sleep. Had Silas come back and called to him? Was the ancient one standing up on the rim looking down, waiting for Stefan to come wide awake?

_Silas, you out there?_

_Were you expecting someone else? Your brother, perhaps?_

_That would be nice. Where is he?_

_Not here with me. _

_Is he all right? You haven't done anything to him, have you?_

_Why would I do anything. He thinks I'm you._

_He can be annoying. Is he with Elena?_

_Ah, Elena. Now there is a lovely young lady. Feisty and a bit prone to worrying about things. She likes you. Me._

_Stay away from her!_

_Now, now. You have no say in this anymore._

_You are supposed to be pining away for the woman you loved. Still love._

_I do still love her. You know that I wanted to take the cure so I could be a normal, mortal person, so I could die and join her in the afterlife. Do you know what happened to the cure? Someone made that Katherine Petrova take it. Now, I'm stuck here forever. At least I have this healthy, handsome body to run around in._

_Great. Enjoy it._

_I am. So, how are you doing?_

_Oh, you know, just lying around. Biding my time._

_I know how that is. I spent a very long time doing that._

_Were you awake all that time?_

_No. Like you, I shut down for periods of time._

_How long have I been here?_

_I'm not going to tell you. Not knowing can be very frustrating._

_I'm not the one who entombed you for all those years, _Stefan said, trying not toshow emotion_._

_But you were about to do it. I like being you, walking around free and easy. And handsome. My appearance was seriously damaged a long time ago, but now I look in a mirror and I look good. I have a young, healthy body. It's very nice, Stefan. Oh, and I like driving your car and riding the motorcycle._

Stefan mentally swore at him_. How the hell do you know how to drive a car anyway?_

_I told you I was awake many times. I have a powerful mind and I was able to listen in on hundreds of people who came to the island for many reasons over the centuries, even though I was deep in the cave. I was aware of the changes that were taking place. Unfortunately, I couldn't see what was being discussed, but I learned and remembered a great deal of what I heard. So, yes, it was not difficult for me to learn to drive that car._

_Good for you, _Stefan said sarcastically_. Hey, I wondered something. If I am your distant descendant, then you must have had a child or two. Is that right?_

_My wife and I had two children, a boy and a girl. I'm not sure which you are descended from. I think I looked like you when I was your age. The age you were when you were turned, that is._

_But you were older when you were entombed. How old?_

_It's not important._

_I'm just curious._

_You're just desperate for me to stay here and chat with you. I'm finished with it for now. I'll come back sometime. Bye, Stefan. Have a nice sleep._

_Silas, wait! Come on, man. Talk to me. How long have I been here? What's happening out there?_

Silence was happening. Silas didn't answer. Silas was gone. A shudder went through Stefan along with a little worm of fear. He didn't want to give in to fear. He didn't want to panic, but panic was moments away. He felt tears of frustration form in his eyes, despite the fact that he was in water. With grim determination and nasty feelings toward Silas, he shut down and went to sleep.

_A/N I know this is a short chapter. I could use some feedback. Should I go on with this story? I'm thinking of using various flash-backs. What do you all think?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N Stefan sleeps, dreams and wakes. He has further chats with Silas if the Old One is there. Thanks for the reviews, guys!

_ "Elena! Where have you been?" __he asked as she ran toward him._

_ "I was with Damon."_

"_Oh."_

"_That's over, Stefan. I thought I loved him, but you know what? I looked hard at him and realized I didn't love him. Or if I did, I suddenly didn't any more. It was odd, like I saw him in a different light."_

"_You probably saw him as he really is. He's a user of people, Elena. He uses women and casts them aside. You just beat him to it."_

"_I suppose you're right. It's funny I didn't see it before. But look at you, you gorgeous hunk of man! You just glow with love. You still love me, don't you?"_

"_Yes! Very much. Can I hug you?"_

"_Hug me tightly. Never let me go. I'll love you until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time. Wasn't that an old love song?"_

"_Yes. Johnny Mathis sang it a long time ago. It feels so good to have my arms around you again. Kiss me. Mmmm."_

"_How was that?" __she asked, moving her head away from his and looking him in the eyes._

"_Wonderful. Do it again, then let's take a swim."_

"_Wait a minute!. What game are you playing here? Who the hell do you think you are fooling, Silas? There's Stefan over there! You bastard! Let go of me! How about __you__ take a swim in this lake without me?" _She gave him a shove.

"_Elena, no! Wait! Come back! __I'm__ Stefan! That's Silas!" _he yelled before he hitthe water.

For a moment he let rage take hold of him. Although he opened his eyes, he kept his mouth and nose shut out of instinct, but he squirmed and thrashed around and strained against his cold, wet confinement until he realized where he really was. Suddenly, there was a loud scraping sound and then the feeling of tilting, sliding. Then silence. Finally a hard thud and a crash.

He knew what had happened. His "coffin" must have been resting on a rock ledge. His thrashing about had moved it over the edge until it fell free, sinking deeper into the water until it crashed to a new resting position. Now he was lying on his left side.

The water that had surely cleared when the debris had settled, now had to be all stirred up and foul again. He didn't open his mouth to taste it. Instead, he just lay there, swearing in his mind, but the fury and panic had passed. How far had he floated downward? Had he gone so far that Silas' mental voice would not reach him? That is, if he came back for another chat.

How had Silas stood it all that long, long time? He said he had slept for long periods, but it must have been frustrating to come awake and still be entombed. How maddening to wake and hear voices chatting away. Had he tried to contact the people on the surface with his telepathy? If so, how had the people reacted? Perhaps they had decided the place was haunted by ghosts and went away.

He also thought of Esther, wife of Mikael. Apparently she too had come awake from time to time while she lay "dead" in her coffin. No wonder she had hated Klaus, who had put her there. Of course, her main reason for wanting her children to die was because she had realized they were abominable, savage killers. It was her fault. In ignorance, she had created beasts.

_ Well, here I am, a descendant of the beast Klaus through Katherine, Rose, Mary and whoever. Rose and Mary are dead and gone forever. It is surprising that we who came after didn't die at the time of their deaths. Elena said she thought it was because neither of them were Originals. It takes the death of an Original to eliminate a whole line. So, how many vampires around the world died when Finn died? How many when Kol died? It must have been a terrible shock to their friends and to anyone else who saw them suddenly die._

_ Elena and Jeremy took a big chance when they killed Kol. None of us knew one hundred percent that we were descended from Klaus. What if we had been wrong? Well, we would all be dead now and it wouldn't matter. And I wouldn't be stuck where I am!_

_Silas, are you out there?_

There was no answer. That was odd. Usually he came up from the deep sleep and then dreamed because something was disturbing him. But what? Then he heard a faint _plop plop plop_ sound and the far distant laughter of young boys. In a moment, the plops came again. He strained to hear what the boys were saying, but their words and laughter ran together.

_There's a man trapped down in the water. Go get help!_ he mentally urged the boys. He repeated it three times and then listened. There was silence up by the surface of the water. He heard nothing but the odd sound that one hears under water, a sort of 'white' noise.

"I'm tired of skipping stones. Let's get out of here," he faintly heard a boy's voice say.

Stefan urgently repeated his plea, but he couldn't tell if the boys heard him because a vague thumping told him they were running away. There was a possibility that the boys would tell an adult what they had heard, but then again, they might not. The adults would likely tell the boys to stay away from the water-filled quarry because it was deep and dangerous.

Stefan remembered when the quarry was worked long ago for its blocks and slabs of stone, but then one day water started flowing into it. The whole quarry had not been flooded, but the best stone was down deep. There was more water than could be pumped out and the quarrying for stone had stopped and had never resumed.

After a while, when nothing happened, Stefan put himself into deep sleep again. After a while, he dreamed again.

"_Can you change into a bird like Damon can__?" Elena asked as she snuggled close against him._

"_Why would you ask that?"_

"_I don't know. The memory just popped into my head. Damon used to do that when he first came to Mystic Falls."_

"_Yeah, I remember that. He did it to spy on me. And on you. I hate it when I know he's doing that."_

"_Why?"_

"_Do you realize that he can sit outside a bedroom or bathroom window and watch what is going on inside?"_

"_Like a peeping Tom! That is disgusting. Do you think he does it a lot? Change, I mean."_

"_No. It takes a lot of energy and it doesn't feel good. He'd have to feed frequently to do it."_

"_Do you ever do that?"_

"_No. I never developed the ability. Damon did because he wanted to try it. Someone taught him how. He told me learning it was not easy. The crow ends up being bigger than a regular crow. It's heavier, too. So flying is a real chore."_

"_He should try being a bigger bird."_

"_A big bird like a condor or an albatross has a really big wing-span, but a bird like that would be seriously out of place around most areas and especially around here. I don't think he has done the bird thing in a long time now. I mean in the last couple of years."_

"_Can he become other creatures?"_

"_I don't know. I don't think so."_

"_If you were an octopus, you might be able to get out of here."_

"_Out of where?" _

"_You know." __Suddenly they were in a box filled with water. She morphed into an octopus and slipped away somehow._

"_Elena, don't go! Wait!" __He tried to follow her, but couldn't__. "I can't go with you!"_

When he opened his eyes, he knew she had not really been there in the cold water.

_Dreaming again, Stefan? _came Silas' voice.

A/N I know these are short chapters, but it seems sort of appropriate.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Silas, back again, huh?. What are you up to these day? _He shut his eyes. There was nothing to see and there was silt in the water.

_This and that. Snuggling up to that darling Elena. You have her well broken-in and trained in interesting activities._

_Shut up, damn you!_

_Be nice._

_I'm not going to ask you precisely what you meant, but I suspect Damon has taught her a thing or two._

_Is he more broad-minded? Explores more avenues of pleasure?_

_Yeah. Be a gentleman and don't discuss it._

_Well, actually, I'm not like that, anyway. I suppose I'm a bit narrow-minded and traditional. My wife and I kept it loving, but simple._

_You know, I am a little confused about you, Silas._

_I'm surprised you aren't mightily confused about me._

_What I mean is, it was my understanding that you wanted the 'cure' so you could cease to be immortal and die and be with a woman you loved, but Qetsiyah, or whatever her name is, wanted you to be with her. Was the woman you loved your wife?_

_Yes, she was. She died soon after our second child was born. I grieved terribly for her. My sister and her husband took our two little ones, whom I couldn't care for. That was before I became immortal, of course._

_I see. I'm also confused as to whether or not you are a witch or a vampire or what?_

_I __was__ a witch, Stefan. Once I was made immortal, I was no longer a witch. But you know what? I still have some power. As you know, I can present myself to people looking like one person or another. I also suppose I am a vampire because blood sustains me. I have your fangs now._

_If you are out there looking like me and killing people, you are ruining my reputation. I don't like that._

_Of course, I don't care what you like or not. I am having trouble eating real food again, however. My system has not had to deal with digestion and body wastes for so long._

_Too bad. How are you doing with the modern toilets?_

_One of the many fascinating inventions. Like the Romans, you modern people waste a lot of good water. Take the bidet, for instance. The first time I used one of those, I nearly rose up two feet. _

_Surprise, surprise. _Stefan gave a mental snort.

_By the way, how is the water quality down there?_

_Could be better. Luckily, I don't need it. Yet. Silas, if I promise to leave the area, will you let me out of here?_

_I think your promise would be false. So, no, I will not let you out of there. Well, I'm off to see what Miss Elena is up to. So long, Stefan__. Hasta la vista, baby._

_Silas, wait a minute! Silas! SILAS!_

Stefan considered what Silas had told him about himself and it really didn't clear up the confusion. There was an inconsistency in what Silas said, what Shane had said and what Bonnie had believed. The truth was probably in there somewhere. Regardless, Silas was immortal, he couldn't take the 'cure,' he was pretending to be Stefan and he had some powers. And he was messing around with Elena! Couldn't she tell it was not him, Stefan? Couldn't Damon?

He was contemplating shutting down again, when his "coffin" shifted. It grated on the rock, sliding and then tumbled again, going deeper down. Stefan swore to himself. Then there was a jarring thump and he was on rock again. This time he was somewhat head-down and on his right side.

More importantly, when he opened his eyes, there was very faint light. With his enhanced vision, it was more than enough for him to see within the confines of his "grave." He wiggled a bit until he saw the crack letting in the sunlight filtering down from the surface. It was by his feet. His "coffin" was warped and cracked a little, but he doubted it was about to really fall apart or open up.

He remembered the dream about Elena turning into an octopus, a creature famous for it's ability to squeeze into and out of places. Could he morph into an octopus? Just how much effort did it take Damon to shape-shift into a crow?

He told himself to concentrate, concentrate, to envision an octopus. He worked at it for several minutes and managed to turn an arm into a tentacle. However, he finally lay still, totally exhausted. The tentacle went right back to being an arm. He had no way to feed on blood to recharge his system, and obviously it took much more energy to do such a transformation then he had. He had to abandon that idea. In defeat, he closed his eyes and shut down.

"_Stefan, what are you doing with Mama's hand mirror?"_ twelve-year-old Damon asked of his younger brother. _"You shouldn't bring it outdoors. What if you dropped it and it broke? Mama would feel so sad."_

"_I'm being careful. I won't break it"_

"_Why did you bring it out here?"_

"_I'm looking at my eyes. Did you know they look different outdoors than in the house?"_

"_What do you mean, little brother?"_

"_See. The black spot in the middle is small outdoors. When I am in the house, the black spot is big."_

"_I know that. The black spot gets bigger in the house so more light can get in and you can see better. It's not a spot. It's a hole."_

"_I got a hole in my eyes? Is that bad?"_

"_No, it's not bad. That's the way it's supposed to be"_

"_My eyes are a funny color. Why aren't my eyes like yours? You got nice blue eyes and mine are a funny color."_

"_Your eyes are sort of green. With a touch of brown. I think maybe the green comes from Mama's eyes and the brown comes from Father's eyes. It isn't important what color they are, Stef. What's important is that you can see well."_

"_Oh, I can see real good. I don't have to wear spectacles like that boy John in town."_

"_You have good eyes. Now, go put Mama's mirror back in her room before she sees you took it."_

"_Alright. Where are you going? Don't go away without me, Damon! I wanna come, too."_

The mirror slipped from his hand and broke on the ground.

Stefan snapped awake. Only the press of cold water on his face kept him from shouting out loud. In his mind he said, _"No! I didn't drop the mirror. I didn't! It was okay when I put it back in Mama's room."_

_Are you sure? _Silas' voice startled him.

_Silas, do you monitor my dreams?_

_I find them interesting and informative. When I look in the mirror, I see your green eyes. When I was alive, mine were greener, brighter._

_Like I care._

_Maybe they are hazel._

_Forget me eyes! What are you up to?_

_A little of this and a little of that? Did you know Elena has a small mole on her right buttock? Oh, of course, you do!_

_ Shut up, you bastard!_

Silence.

_ Silas? Are you there? Silas!_

_Apologize, Stefan._

_ For what?_

_ For your tone of voice and insulting words._

_ How do you expect me to speak, considering the circumstances?_

_ If you want someone to converse with, be nice. Apologize._

Instead, Stefan thought in derogatory terms. Silence followed.

_ Silas? _

Silence.

_Hey, okay, I apologize. I'm sorry for speaking in a crude manner and using a sarcastic tone. If you want me to be nice, don't bait me. Okay?_

Silence.

Eventually, Stefan had to admit to himself that Silas had left.

_Bastard._

Silence. He mentally sighed. Alone again with just his thoughts and dreams, and they were often not pleasant. In a few minutes, he went back into deep sleep.

A/N Poor Stefan. Sleeping, dreaming and short talks with Silas. I wonder how long he will be confined to his "grave." Thanks to you all for reading and commenting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Alert: this chapter deals with rape and viciousness, but not specific details.

_ He saw her standing alone in the moonlight, looking out to the dark water of the lake. The evening was hot and humid and she was dressed casually in a halter top and short shorts. There seemed to be no one else around. He could hear voices laughing and a radio playing, but they were coming from a house some way down the lake shore. He didn't see a bicycle or car anywhere, so he figured that the girl had walked from the house to the spot where she now stood._

_ Adrenaline rushed through his body causing his heart rate to jump up. It was not the only thing to jump up and he touched the crotch of his jeans. If he were not in his Ripper mode, he would have suppressed some of his urges, but he was the Ripper. His fangs came down and his face changed. His finger nails changed, becoming stronger and sharper, weapons the Ripper liked. He moved in a blur and was upon the girl before she knew what happened. He was cruel and vicious, biting, slashing, raping. With his humanity turned off, he cared only about satisfying his savage urges. _

_When his hunger was sated and his sexual needs met, he slipped into a state of confusion. The Ripper mind-set faded away. He looked at the human he had just mauled and killed, and he began to shake. He had done it again! Although this time he had not ripped the limbs from the girl or sliced open her belly, he had still done terrible damage. He had taken enough blood to kill her, not to mention the blood loss from the slashes. _

_He felt sick. He just didn't understand how he could do something like this. Sure, vampires could be cruel, but he knew he was among the most vicious of them. Why he did it, he had no idea. What was wrong with him?_

_He was covered with her blood. With little thought to what he was doing, he picked up her body and walked into the water with it. He set it adrift face-down and it bobbed on the surface in the weak light of a half moon, the shredded clothes floating beside her. The night breeze was from the shore and it eased her body further and further out into the lake. The blood on his clothes began to seep out_ _into the water and he spent some time just soaking. Then he heard voices coming along the shore, voices calling a girl's name._ _Linda._

_Seeking to escape being spotted, he eased down totally under the surface of the water and swam off to the west, away from the people. Not needing to breathe, he could go a long way and he certainly had the fresh energy to keep going._

_Stefan. Are you awake?_

_Huh? What? _He felt confused and sickened by the dream.

_I asked if you are awake, _came Silas' voice.

_I guess I am._

_Were you dreaming again?_

_Yeah. I seem to dream a lot. _

_And what about this time?_

_I thought you could tap into my mind and see what I was dreaming._

_I just arrived, so I missed whatever you were dreaming about. What was it?_

_I'd rather not talk about it._

_I see. Well, I must tell you that I ran into a young woman in Charlottesville who seemed to recognize me. You, actually. She was quite annoyed. Irate, even. Said I raped her, but made her think it was her idea. Did you rape someone in Charlottesville?_

This made Stefan think, when? who? then he remembered when he had traveled with Klaus the summer before. The two of them had used some college girls and made them think it was with their consent. Stefan had felt guilty when he realized one girl was avirgin until he got to her.

_Stefan?_

_I suppose so. It's usually easy to compel someone. It's not something I do on a regular basis. I mean, rape isn't my thing. _He didn't mention that the Ripper found it exciting.

_Where you drunk?_

_No. Do you know Klaus?_

_Yes. Quite well, but he doesn't like me. I mean, the real me. What about him?_

_I was with him and…_

_Don't tell me you and he are…_

_No! It was his idea to pick up the girls and I went along with it. He can be persuasive._

_Apparently, so can you be. I had to apologize to the young woman. I told her I was drunk and I thought she was giving her consent._

_Sorry about that._

_Is that how you got Elena? Did you compel her? Was she a virgin?_

_I didn't compel her! I didn't force her. We did it when she was ready. And no, I was not her first. And you know what? What she and I did is really none of your damned business._

_Do you want to know what she and I are doing?_

_No! It's no longer any of my business. For all I know, she isn't with _you;_ she's still with my brother._

_You wouldn't like it either way. I don't like the way your brother treats me. You. It lacks respect._

_That's Damon. He's all yours now._

_Well, I'm off. Sweet dreams, Stefan._

_Come on, Silas. Stick around and talk to me._

Silence.

_Silas?_

Silence.

Stefan mentally groaned. The "coffin" was dark. There was no tiny shaft of light coming from the crack near his feet. Night must have come, but what night?

His mind went to the dream he had had and the conversation with Silas. Both had dealt with his sexual conduct. Even in the dark, cold water, he felt his face get hot and red with shame. He recalled running into his friend Lexi soon after the incident at the lake shore, for what he had dreamed had really happened about fifty years ago. He had confessed to her what he had done. She had said nothing, but the look on her face had shown her reproach and disappointment.

He had been trying so hard to keep the Ripper buried deep inside him, but now and then, his terrible side escaped control. Lexi knew. The best she could do was to encourage him and reassure him that he could be in control, that animal blood could meet his dietary needs and reduce the recurrence of the Ripper.

Although he and she had not had sex together, she was the one who taught him that he could have sex without biting, raping, mutilating or killing someone. She had been working with him off and on since the 1860's. For the most part, he had learned her lessons well. His human nature had been that of a gentle and considerate guy, and it had carried over into his vampire life. Except when he consumed more than a small amount of human blood. Except when the Ripper surfaced.

Since staying awake meant thinking about his shortcomings or about Silas and Elena, he put himself back into deep sleep.

A/N I know this is short. Sorry about that. I'm working on the next chapter and I'll try to make it longer. Thank you to you all who are reading and to those who have commented.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N I know a lot of you were not pleased that I wrote that the Ripper was a rapist as well as a brutal murderer. I think it fit into that raging personality. Anyway, I don't plan to write anymore of that. On to lighter subjects.

Something was touching his face, gentle little contact with his lips, jaw, nose, eye brows and lashes. He smiled slightly, but he didn't open his eyes. He knew it was Elena. He was lying on his left side and she was beside him, facing him. Her fingers softly traced his brows and then followed his sideburns on the right and on down along the angle of his jaw.

"_Are you going to shave today?"_ she asked, her voice soft and gentle.

"_If you want me to." _The corners of his mouth twitched in a smile.

"_I like you clean-shaven."_ Her finger ran along his upper lip. Then she touched his left nostril and pulled on one of the hairs inside his nose. That was strange. How did she do that? He opened his eyes.

The cold water brought his attention right back to the real situation. And he saw what had been touching him. Minnows. He could see the tiny fish in the light coming in the crack in his "coffin." A whole school of them were hovering around his face, darting away now and then. They were picking at his face in a tiny way, touching his lips, pulling on hairs. He had a mental picture of the little fish that carefully cleaned big fish like grouper and sharks. Here he was, a shark in a box and the minnows had come in to groom him.

He touched his cheek and felt for beard stubble. Normally, since becoming a vampire, his beard grew very slowly. He shaved once a week at most. He also knew that when a vampire was in deep sleep none of the hair on the face or head grew. He had shaved the morning of graduation, many hours before he had been thrown down into the quarry. Now, there was just a hint of stubble. Either he had been in deep sleep off and on for quite some time, or very little time had passed. Not knowing was frustrating.

He had to blink now and then to keep the minnows away from the clear corneas of his eyes, but otherwise he kept his eyes open and watched them. They were the first live things to come visit him in person, so to speak.

Obviously, it was daytime. The sun was shining down through the clear water, but the beams didn't really reach the crack in the box because of the depth. It would not have made any difference to Stefan, except that he had come to realize that he was not wearing his protective ring. Silas must had snatched it off his finger and was now wearing it. Of course, he would need it or one like it so that he could walk in the daylight.

Or maybe he already had one. He had been out in the daylight since being released from his tomb in the cave. So, maybe he took Stefan's ring to ensure Stefan didn't get free and out of the water during the daylight hours. Whatever the reason, Stefan knew he would have to be careful should he ever get free.

He watched the fish and played with them with his eye lashes and lips for some time, and then he got bored. Another distraction came to mind. His intestines were not exactly empty. He had slowly developed gas. He let some of it loose and waited to see if it remained in his underwear or made its way free. After a moment, he felt the bubbles moving alone his right leg, which was higher than his left because he was lying on his left side.

The bubbles slowly crept along his thigh to his knee and then along his shin, rising because his feet were higher than his head. He could see his right shoe and so he could see when the bubbles escaped from the hem of his pant leg. They rose up to the "ceiling" of his coffin and flattened, looking like various sizes of silver coins.

In fascination he watched the "coins" slowly move together and merge, except for one bubble that remained aloof and refused to merge. The minnows investigated the bubbles, but then lost interest and returned to his face. Stefan ignored them and concentrated on the silvery bubbles. He noted that they were slowly easing toward the lighted crack and finally they escaped and were gone, the little one following the big one.

_A bubble from the depths! Did we pass gas, Stefan?_ came Silas' amused voice.

_I don't know about you, but I did. I'm really hard up for entertainment down here._

_Apparently so._

_You could bring a radio with you and play me some music once in a while._

_I'm not sure you could hear it._

_Sound travels under water, you know._

_What kind of music do you like?_

_Anything. Everything._

_Even Rap? I don't know how they can call that music. It's profane, ugly poetry. _

_Not all of it. Profane, I mean. Some of it is really cool._

_If you say so. I have heard much nicer music. Did you know that some of the people who came to the island had radios? That's how I heard music from time to time._

_Radio and phonographs have only been around a little over a hundred years, so you spent a lot of centuries with no music. That's too bad._

_Prior to that, some island visitors sang. I suppose they sat around campfires, played instruments and sang._

_Did you hear Vikings?_

_Yes. And native people. A lot of people came to the island from time to time. I gathered that there was good fishing in the surrounding waters._

_What's happening locally? Here in Mystic Falls?_

_Just the usual._

_Has Elena decided to go to college?_

_I'm not going to tell you._

_Come on, Silas. What can you tell me?_

_Nothing, really. Well, I must be on my way. I'll think about the radio. __Adieu._

_Silas! Wait! Damn it._

Alone again, except for the minnows. The little fishes had increased in number. They were tiny enough to come in through the crack easily and they swam around here and there, some of them nibbling at the hairs on his skin. He let a couple of air bubbles escape from his lips and the fishes moved away before chasing them as they rose.

His mouth was dry, so he stuck out his tongue and tasted the water. It seemed fresh, so he let some into his mouth and swished it around before swallowing it. He really could use some fresh blood. It would be nice if something like an otter would sneak into his "coffin" and get close enough to his teeth to be caught. Feeding from something as small as an otter, or even smaller like a muskrat, would kill the animal, but he didn't care at this point. He doubted either animal would come down as far as his trap and neither would be able to get in through the crack. But, damn, he was hungry!

He felt his heart start to beat because his body had released some adrenaline. No, he didn't want that. He didn't want to have a panic attack because he was hungry and alone and trapped in a metal box under water and no one but Silas knew where he was. To fend off the panic, he closed his eyes and forced himself into the deep sleep again, his safest refuge.

Eventually, he moved to the lighter dream sleep.

"_Stefan, what are you doing_?" ten-year-old Damon asked in an annoyed tone.

"_I wanna come up dere so I can pick a apple, too."_

"_There isn't room up here for both of us"_

"_Yes, dere is."_

"_No, there isn't. Stay down there."_

"_If you can climb the tree, den me, too. I wanna apple."_

"_You're too small. You might fall."_

"_I wanna apple! Gimme a apple!"_

"_They aren't quite ripe yet. You'll get a belly ache."_

"_You eating a apple. I wanna apple! Gimmeeee!"_

"_Don't cry, Stefan. I'll find one that's ripe. Let me go over to this other branch. See, I found one. Stay there and I'll throw it down to you. Can you catch it?"_

"_Yes. Gimme. Ow! You hit me! You threw dat apple at me. Dat hurt! I'm gonna tell Mama. Mama, Damin hit me wid a hard apple!"_

"_Stefan, shut your mouth! You are such a brat. And such a tattletale. You better outgrow that behavior by the time you're four or I'm going to make your life miserable! You hear me? Oh, oh. It's starting to rain. You'll get all wet and cold. Go in the house. And take that apple you wanted so badly."_

He woke again in his watery grave. There was dim light so that he guessed it was either dusk or dawn. He thought about the dream. He didn't really remember Damon throwing an apple down and hitting him. It probably happened. By the time he was four years old, he could climb up onto the lowest branches of any of the several fruit trees on the farm. He fell a few times, but he didn't break anything.

Although he had had friends his own age to play with, like neighbors Billy Gilbert and Barbara Ann Ross, he remembered that he had also tried to hang around with Damon and his friends sometimes because the older boys had interesting things to do. Lindsey Gilbert, Alan Lockwood and Douglas Ross had been close to Damon. Lindsey had become a doctor and Douglas a merchant. Alan had been murdered in his early twenties.

_I never knew why you were murdered in such a brutal manner, Alan, _he mentallysaid to the now-non-existent man_. It was not until recently, a couple of years ago, that Damon and I learned that werewolves really exist and that the trait runs in the Lockwood family. It's now obvious that you had become an activated werewolf and someone had killed you because of it._

They had all died long ago, although Lindsey had lived to be an old man and had died in1930. Stefan knew that Elena had done a little research, including in old Jonathan Gilbert's journals, and she had found that she was descended from Jonathan through his son Lindsey, Lindsey's son John, John's son Martin and Martin's son Jeremy. Her Grandad Jeremy, who was the father of both Grayson and John, had died in 2001. And although she had always thought Grayson was her father, it had turned out that her biological father was John. All of them were dead now, although Elena had cousins.

_As for you, Giuseppe Salvatore, my not-so-dear father, your line of descent would have ended when Damon and I became vampires, except for a couple of people. According to you, Damon had early-on sired an illegitimate child or two and there could be descendants from them. More importantly, Father, your last child, my little brother Pietro or Peter, married and fathered several children, who had children. You missed out on ever knowing any of them._

_Good old Peter, _Stefan now thought_. You kept our line going. And what about you, Silas? Were you truthful when you said I was your doppelganger? Am I really a descendant of yours down through two thousand years? Is it through the Salvatores, who lived in Italy or my mother's family, who came from England? Or have you lied to me and simply taken on my appearance?_

_ Someone, Elena or Damon or Caroline, someone will see through your disguise. They will realize that you are not me. Then what, Silas? Then what?_

A/N I hope you liked this chapter better. The brother Peter comes from a couple of my other stories, as some of you know. I appreciate that you all continue to read this story_._


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

As Stefan thought about the ancient immortal, he considered the night of the senior dance. Although he had not realized it until later, he now knew that Silas had been very active that night. He had appeared to Bonnie as Jeremy, to Stefan as Damon, to Damon as Stefan and finally to Elijah as Rebekah. He had previously given Klaus a hard time so that Klaus sometimes didn't know if he was speaking to one of his siblings or to Silas. There was no telling how many other times he had changed. The immortal one was very clever in his transformations and powerful in his control over other people's minds. It left everyone unsure of what or who was real. That made Silas a very dangerous entity.

Stefan, Damon and the others had made a mistake with Silas. For one thing, they thought that Bonnie had turned Silas, body and soul, into stone. Maybe she had, but that had changed. Maybe Silas had merely been encased in stone and he had broken free, perhaps right there as he, Stefan, backed the vehicle up to the edge of the quarry. Secondly, Stefan had accepted the duty of getting rid of the stone body, mostly because he knew Elena had chosen Damon again and therefore he, Stefan, should leave Mystic Falls. He and Damon had agreed that he dump Silas into the depths of the quarry where it would stays for eons of time.

The box into which he was supposed to "bury" Silas was old and had a door that locked, much like a safe, but the sides and back walls were somewhat thin metal instead of thick. Stefan had been able to lift it with his vampire's strength from the bed of the rented pick-up truck. He had lifted the stone body, wrapped in canvas, out of the truck too, only to realize that the stone had broken and Silas was no longer within.

Silas had confronted him, briefly as Elena and then he had showed himself as "Stefan" and explained the business of the doppelganger. "Stefan" had then stabbed him in the belly with a stake. Stefan had pulled the stake out, but he had not had the strength to fight Silas or to prevent being put into the box. His wound had healed, of course, but that had sapped more of his energy.

So now it was Stefan who was confined down in the quarry.

_Silas, are you out there?_ he asked mentally.

There was no answer. He felt free to think about his current condition. He noted that the light had grown brighter, so that he knew the time of day was dawn. The sun was probably up already, but it wasn't high enough to shine off the quarry walls or down into the water.

There was the noise of the waterfall, meaning rain had fallen during the night. The small stream that came off a nearby hill created a continuous seepage of water down the face of the wall, but after rain or a spring thaw, there was a real waterfall into the quarry. It was noisy for someone underwater.

He had not as yet told Silas that there was a crack in the "coffin" big enough that minnows and light came inside. He hoped to keep that a secret as long as possible. After Silas pushed the box over the edge, apparently the bounce and tumble down into the quarry and the subsequent shift had ruptured the one corner of the box. Water certainly had come rushing in right from the start and now with the crack he had light and fishes.

Silas already had to know that the box was not water-tight. Surely he had looked down and seen great bubbles of air escape and he would have known that water had gone inside, replacing the air. He knew Stefan lay surrounded by water. He knew that if Stefan inhaled the water, the sensation would be that of drowning, which was quite unpleasant. A vampire could drown over and over if it let the water in. Stefan was determined not to do that.

It was unfortunate that, at this time, Stefan didn't have the energy or strength to force his way out of his "coffin." Even if he now started swallowing minnows, it would take a long time to build it back up. Thinking all this, he was not in a good mood. Rather than lie there brooding and being annoyed by minnow lips, he forced himself into deep sleep again.

"_Are you cold, Elena? We can go back." __They stood facing each other in snow up to their knees. Bright sunlight sparkled on the white surface. It was a good thing Stefan wore the ring that protected him from the sun's rays._

"_I'm fine, Stefan. I love the snow."_

"_You look like an Eskimo with all those clothes on. I know winter can get really cold here in Virginia, but I didn't know you had clothes fit for Alaska."_

"_That's because you have never gone to Colorado with me to go skiing. Mom and Dad usually took me and Jeremy skiing out there every couple of years. Just for a few days. I loved it. Otherwise, I'm not really a cold-weather person."_

"_Let me see if your lips are cold. Mmm. Yes, they are, but I love to kiss them."_

"_I am really warm inside my clothes." Elena said in a suggestive tone._

"_Oh? Yeah, I'll bet you are."_

"_Go ahead and take your glove off and slip your hand up inside my jacket. No, under my shirt, too. Oh! Your hand is so cold! I guess you've found out I'm not wearing a bra."_

"_You seem to have a couple of soft mounds of flesh stuck to your chest. How odd. What do you call them?"_

"_The ' girls'. Stefan, I can see you are trying to keep from laughing out loud. You are a tease. I bet the 'boys' are cold."_

"_You think? Why don't you see if they are?"_

"_You and I have not slept together yet. I'm not sure I should touch you down there."_

"_I won't ravish you, my dear. Take your glove off. Go ahead. Feel me up. No, Elena, put your hand inside."_

"_Give me a sec here. I think the zipper is stuck. Okay, I got it. Are you sure I should touch you? I mean, I don't want you to get all exited and get the wrong idea."_

"_I am always thinking of the wrong idea. Oh , nice. Your hand is warm.!"_

"_Stefan, you're cold as ice down there. That can't be good."_

"_Elena, I'm a cold-blooded vampire out here in the freezing weather. None of me is warm. I'm cold all over."_

He came awake in the cold silence of his watery grave. He could almost feel Elena's hand on him. Despite the cold water, his body had reacted to the dream, but it was subsiding. That was disappointing.

He remembered back when he was mortal and a younger teenager than he supposedly was now, back when a girl had invited him to touch her breasts. She has also shocked him by wanting to touch his privates. It had been winter and they had been in an open sleigh and they had not done anything more than feel with one hand each. Stefan had been a much more innocent boy then than he was now, that was for sure. It had been several years after the sleigh incident before he had had real sex. With Katherine.

He had fallen for Elena the first time he had seen her, when he realized that she looked just like Katherine. But his love for her had developed because she was Elena and not Katherine. And unlike Katherine, she had waited quite a while that first year before she had climbed into his bed. He wished mightily that he was in bed with her right now.

What if Elena was sleeping with Silas now? What if she was completely fooled into thinking he was Stefan? Would Silas treat her properly? He didn't want to think he was brutalizing her. Surely, she would then know it was not Stefan. Would she know anyway?

The truth was, Silas had little chance with Elena. Darling Elena had finally chosen Damon, not from any sire bond, but from love. When all was said and done, that evening after the graduation ceremony, when everyone was waiting for Bonnie to close the veil between this world and the Other Side, when Damon was recovered from poisoned gunshot wounds because Klaus had given him blood again, when Ric and Lexi and Jeremy were waiting to go back to the dead side, Elena had figured out her true feelings. She had told Stefan that she cared very much for him and she was thankful for all he had done for her, but she loved Damon.

She was with Damon, and Silas was out in the cold, so to speak. Or was he foolishly assuming that was so? What if Silas took on Damon's appearance? If he could pass himself off as "Stefan", couldn't he do likewise as Damon? Could he actually fool Elena?

The idea got his adrenaline flowing and his heart thumping. He worked at calming down his emotions and stopping his heart. Hunger pangs gnawed at him now. He found himself looking at the little fish. There were a lot of them. He slowly opened his mouth, although he kept his throat closed off. Water came into his mouth and so did a bunch of the little fish. He snapped his jaws closed and swallowed. The minnows wiggled all the way down and he could feel them in his stomach. They would die quickly because of his stomach acids. He opened his mouth again and more little fish came in for the same fate. After a while, there were only a few left and they were not coming to his mouth. In a way, he was glad. He didn't want to be alone.

He lay in the water and kept his eyes closed. There were no sounds beside the subtle buzz of water. At present, there was no waterfall. He had no idea what had brought him up from the deep sleep, but it hadn't been the gentle touches of the minnows.

_Silas?_

Silence.

He wondered about Bonnie. When he and Silas had talked up on the edge of the quarry, before Silas had locked him up and thrown him into the water, the immortal one had suggested that the reason he had been able to escape was probably that the witch had died. Stefan had not asked Silas since then if Bonnie really was dead. Her job had been to close the veil to the Other Side. Had something about it been deadly?

Stefan knew she had successfully closed the veil. Lexi had been with him in the truck, talking to him and then she had just disappeared. It had been great to see Lexi again and to talk to her, to laugh with her, but now she was dead again. Still, she had had a positive effect on his feelings about his future without Elena. Lexi had always been an up-beat person.

_Are you alive, Bonnie? I hope you are. If you are, can't you tell Silas is passing himself off as me? If you sense it, why haven't you tried to find me? If anyone can, you can._

He had no intention of asking Silas about the young witch, because he figured that he could not really believe anything the immortal one said. Anyway, he did not want to believe his friend had somehow died.

After a while of random thinking, he found himself wondering about the Hunter Vaughn. He had been one of the ones to come back when the veil was open. He had convinced Damon to show him where Silas' body was, although Damon had faked it. At the quarry, he had shot Damon with the poisoned bullets. Ric's "ghost" had killed him and thrown him in the water. Was Vaughn's body rotting in the very quarry where Stefan lay or had he gone back to the Other Side when the veil closed? Stefan hoped the body was gone. He didn't want to be sharing the water with the dead Hunter.

He thought he heard something fall in the water. He listened carefully trying to hear human voices or any sound that was not just water, fish, turtles or some other animal.

_Silas? Are you there?_

Silence.

Then he heard a scratching sound. He had little room to move, but he could see the crack in his "coffin." He watched and pretty soon he saw a shadow. Curious, and admittedly a little hopeful, he stared at the spot of light. What was it? Then he saw a dark nose and whiskers. An animal. An otter, if he was not mistaken. The creature tried to see inside. It reached in with a paw and felt around, touching his right shoe.

Stefan had to smile. The otter couldn't get inside, but it was fun to watch it try to figure out what was in the box. It left the hole and he could hear it check out the whole exterior, touching the box here and there. It even played with the big handle that locked the door. Stefan wanted the animal to turn the handle, but he could not mentally make the creature understand. It probably didn't have the strength to do it anyway.

The otter stayed with him for a minute more, looking in the crack and feeling around, and then it left. Stefan supposed it needed to go to the surface to breath. He hoped it would come back, but time passed and it did not. He felt disappointment. He had let the small animal get his hopes up somehow.

With no action around, he told himself to sleep again and he shut down.

_A/N I hope you liked this chapter. Not much action going on. Sorry._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"_Stefan! Stefan! Help us! Kol is coming after us with a meat cleaver. He's going to chop our arms off!" __Elena screamed at Stefan. She came running from her house followed by her brother Jeremy._

_ Standing in the front yard, Stefan asked__, "Where is he? Is he in the house?"_

_ "He is. Here he comes!" __Elena screamed, running right past Stefan and out to the street. Jeremy was right behind her._

_ Stefan saw Kol come out the front door to the porch. He had an evil grin on his face and a meat cleaver in his right hand. Stefan barely knew Kol, having had little interaction with him, but he knew the young man was cruel._

_ "Stay away from Elena," __he yelled at Kol._

_ "Or what, mate? Are you going to make me?" __Kol said, an amused look on his face and a challenging glint in his brown eyes._

_ Stefan stared at him. It was interesting that this Original looked so much like his older brother Elijah, but in their personalities, they were a world apart. Elijah was dangerous, but he was also cultured and a gentleman. Not Kol. He was like a street gang leader, bold, mean and cocky. He enjoyed frightening people and hurting them. According to Klaus, Kol had spent the last one hundred years in a coffin because he was just so unmanageable and unpredictable._

_ "Why are you intent of hacking off anyone's arms?" __Stefan asked, giving Elena and Jeremy time to get away. But then he saw that they were sneaking around behind the house, intent on going inside again. What were they up to? Did they still intend to kill Kol so that Jeremy's tattoo would grow and become visible and reveal the secret leading to Silas?_

_ Kol turned to stare back inside the house. He had heard something. He grinned at Stefan and then ran back into the house._

_ "I've got you now, mates!" __he yelled__. "Off with your arms!"_

Stefan woke with his heart pounding. He was ready to fight Kol, but then reality hit him. He was a prisoner in the water of the quarry. Although he, Stefan, had not really been at the house at that time, he knew that Jeremy had killed Kol. But then the nasty Original had come back when the veil went down. He had gone after Elena in the cemetery where Jeremy was buried. Now he should once again be dead and gone if Bonnie had closed the veil. Lexi had disappeared, so the veil was closed.

After making his heart stop, Stefan looked around within the confines of his prison. He couldn't see well because apparently night had fallen. There seemed to be no moonlight. He had some company, quite a few minnows. More of them had come from somewhere since he had swallowed a bunch of them. He decided that he would let more of them into his mouth and swallow them. It was nourishment, although in a pathetic amount.

He was in the process of swallowing the first mouthful when he heard something. Music? Yes, music. Someone near the quarry had a radio. The sound, coming through the water, was a bit tinny. He could tell it was a small radio, not one from a car's sound system, for instance.

_ Silas? Are you out there?_

_ I brought you a radio. Do you like it?_

_ It's good to hear music._

_ This isn't a very good radio. I apologize._

_ Did you drive a vehicle to the quarry?_

_ I did tonight._

_ There's a radio in it, I'm sure. Turn it on and open the doors and I should be able to hear it._

_ That's a good idea, but I think I shall not do that. Loud music could attract attention and I would have to explain why I was playing music to the quarry._

_ You could tell people that it was to soothe any ghosts of the people who might have drowned in the quarry. Over the years, quite a few people have._

_ Another good idea, but no._

_Is Elena alright?_

_ She's fine._

_ And Damon?_

_ I don't know where he is. He left._

_ He did? Where would he go? He wouldn't leave Elena._

_ I don't know where he went and I really don't care._

_ What about Bonnie?_

_ She died. I told you that before. She overdid the spell-casting._

_ When she closed the veil? She was sure she could do it._

_ I believe she died well before that._

_ She was at graduation. She was alive then._

_ Was she? Really?_

_ She had to be!_

_ If she was already dead, she would have been in the present because the veil was down. Just like all those others._

_ But then why would she put up the veil?_

_ Perhaps she felt obligated once I told her that Qetsyah was not going to come out from behind the veil. Still, the little witch managed to turn me to stone, as you well know._

_ Bonnie's dead? That's sad._

It had not occurred to Stefan that Bonnie really was dead, despite what Silas had said the first night. Bonnie had sacrificed herself for the cause! Poor Bonnie.

Silas turned off the radio.

_Well, I'm off again._

_ Leave the radio. Leave it on. It'll play until the batteries die._

_ Why do you feel entitled to hearing music?_

_ Why not?_

_ Would you have done that for me?_

_ I might have._

_ Liar. Good night, Stefan._

Stefan didn't bother to beg him to stay longer. He kept quiet and thought about what had just been said. Had Damon really left or was Silas lying about that? Was Bonnie really dead? It sounded likely. What had happened? Had she really attended the graduation as a being from the Other Side? Hadn't Jeremy gone with her when she went to close the veil? Had she wanted to be with him when he went back? Elena had gone to say goodbye to them. What had she seen? Did they both disappear in front of her? Elena had been ready to give up Jeremy again, but surely not Bonnie.

He felt so cut off from the world. Things had happened just before the veil was closed and he didn't know what they were. It was frustrating. He kicked as hard as he could at the cracked part of the box. The metal thumped like a drum. He gave the crack another vicious kick. He didn't think the crack had opened any, mostly because he didn't have the strength. He needed to swallow a lot more minnows.

He gave one more frustrated kick and the box moved. It once again scraped on rock, tilted and slid. It tumbled, rolled and finally settled again. This time Stefan was lying on his stomach. He mentally cursed for several minutes, berating himself for losing his temper and doing something stupid.

He remembered the quarry as a child, remembered how deep it was. The fine stone had been removed by the workers in slabs and blocks. The sides of the quarry were like huge steps in places. Here he was knocking his "coffin" down from one step to another, deeper and deeper.

He couldn't tell if the crack in the box was buried in dirt or still open. Without it he would get no light, no minnows, no visits from the otter. His heart was pounding again. He made it stop and forced himself to go into deep sleep again rather than stew about the situation.

_ "Wake up, sleepy head."_

_ He knew the teasing voice belonged to Rebekah. He was lying on his stomach, his face half-buried in his pillow and his body covered by a sheet. The room was quite cool, although he didn't mind. He could hear water running and knew that Klaus was taking a shower._

_ "I know you are awake, Stefan. Turn your head this way. I want a little kiss to start the day."_

_ Chicago. He was here with Klaus, who had showed him the family coffins and had released Rebekah. Klaus and his sister had been his friends back in the 1920's, intimate friends, when they were in the mood. Now, the three of them were in the city again, but this time it was ninety years later._

_ Rebekah had come out of her coffin famished and she had fed right away. She was also horny and had wanted something from Stefan to help ease that need. In their hotel room, Klaus had told him to go ahead and please her. Klaus could be very open-minded and was not shy about things. He hadn't even left the room. Stefan could be shy, or perhaps reluctant or more private, but that had not stopped him from a romp with the lovely Rebekah._

_ "Are you ignoring me? Turn over, Stefan."_

_ Her hand moved along the skin of his back and down to his rump, tickling him along the way. Her hand then moved along his hip and wiggled under him, touching his more private places. _

_ "Oh, you are interested! I'm glad to know that. I'd hate to think I had no effect on you."_

Stefan woke in his box and knew something was indeed under his pelvis and touching him. He was stimulated from the dream, but he was not comfortable lying on it on the hard surface of the box. He wiggled his right hand underneath his body, his fingers feeling the fabric and zipper of his jeans. Alarmed, he realized whatever was touching him was inside his pants!

_A/N Never a dull moment for Stefan, between his dreams and the real world. I hope you liked this chapter. Please give me some feedback or suggestions. Thank you for reading._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He couldn't easily turn over. He had not even tried so far, thinking that his shoulders or his hips would be too wide. And until now, he had no reason to do so. He could raise one hip a bit, however, and was able to unzip his jeans. He slid his right fingers inside, found the opening of his underwear and went inside there too. Feeling around, his fingers touched what felt like his cold, firm member, except he couldn't feel his fingers touching himself. The thing moved a little.

_What the hell_! he thought, alarmed more. He felt around further and came to another cold, firm thing, but this time he knew it was part of himself. He could feel the touch. His fingers moved to the other thing again. It was slippery and it wiggled. It was alive and he feared that whatever it was, it might take a bite out of an anatomical part that was physically and psychologically important to him.

He managed to get a grip on the thing and work it out from under him. It wiggled and squirmed, and being slippery, was hard to hold onto. Because of it's shape, Stefan didn't think it was a regular fish. And it wasn't a snake, snakes being scaly and not slimy. He worked his left hand under his abdomen and turned his body part way until he had both hands on the thing. By feel, he was sure it was an eel.

There were eels in Virginia's rivers, but how would one get into the quarry? There was a low spot in the quarry wall that allowed overflow water in the springtime to escape. This wasn't spring, but perhaps there had been a heavy rain while he slept. Was it possible that an eel had entered the confined body of water that way? Did it matter how it got there? Not really. What was more important was that it was way bigger than a minnow. It had come in through the crack in the box, so the crack was still open. And it was a type of fish, an edible type. This one was about to become a meal for a trapped vampire.

He ate the raw creature, skin and all. He didn't like the taste nor the feel of it, but that didn't matter. It was very good protein and also had fat, things that could give him strength. He had heard long ago that the eel's blood was poisonous, but cooked eel was good. Being a vampire, he wasn't worried about whatever was toxic in the blood. He hoped another one might venture into his box, as long as it didn't give him a serious bite.

He had to assume that the eel had slithered up his pant leg because the cuff of his jeans was right near the crack in the box. Otherwise, the creature would have been swimming free in the box. He would prefer that if another came inside, it didn't come up his pant leg and snuggle up against his private parts.

Another indication that there had been quite a bit of rain recently was that he could hear the sound of the waterfall. It was fairly loud. If anyone was at the quarry, he couldn't hear them, unless it was Silas who spoke to him through mental telepathy. If only Damon or Elena would come to the quarry and call out to him. But then again, why would they? If Silas was being successful pretending to be "Stefan," then no one was looking for him.

The inside of the box was dark. He decided it must be nighttime. If the eel could get in, some daylight could, too, even if it was dim. He lay there for some time thinking of various things.

_ Are you awake, Stefan?_

_ Silas, come to visit, huh? What time is it?_

_ Around ten o'clock, according to this phone. I had to get rid of your other phone. It was too complicated for me. This one is good for calls, texting and has voice mail. The nice fellow at the store showed me how to do that much._

_ What did you tell my friends about why you changed phones?_

_ I told them I dropped it and it broke._

_ What about my list of phone numbers?_

_ Oh, I have some of them, too. Modern technology is absolutely fascinating. But it seems I see a large number of people constantly using these devices._

_ That's true. In fact, some people are addicted to using them. They get really anxious if they don't have their phone with them. And here I am, down here in the cold darkness and no phone. Out of contact with the world._

_ Are you anxious, Stefan?_

_ Only because I am a prisoner and no one knows it. I hate it that they think you are me. _He tried not to loose his temper. It would just give pleasure to Silas.

A half hours had passed since he had eaten the eel. He had felt no ill effects from the poison in the blood, but now he felt bowel cramps. Apparently his intestines didn't care for the toxin and planned to get rid of it. Urgently. There was nothing Stefan could do about it. A vampire's body did its best to protect itself and getting rid of irritating things was one way.

_Damn! Damn!_ He thought and he added more mental profanities.

_ I can read your mind, Stefan. Are you having a problem? Tummy ache? What's the cute word they use these days? Poop? I think 'shit' is better, don't you? And there you are confined in a box with …_

_Shut up, Silas! Go away. Just leave me alone._

_Good night. I hope you're comfy._

Stefan didn't ask if Silas was still there after a few minutes and he had to assume he had gone. He, Stefan, did hope his double would come back, but right now he didn't want to deal with him and his teasing, condescending tone of voice.

The cramps were quickly gone, but the damage was done. For the second time Stefan felt "grossed out" by his situation. He was lying in a toilet and he wished he could flush it. He lay still in the hopes of minimizing the water contamination. He certainly didn't want to set the box tumbling again and make his situation worse.

Not for the first time he considered the clothes he was wearing: the soiled boxer briefs and jeans, the shirt with a stake hole in the part over his stomach, and his shoes. The leather shoes would be ruined unless properly treated after he got out of the water. If they didn't rot away first. The same was true of his leather belt. The buckle would rust if too much time passed.

He didn't have his nice leather jacket. Silas had taken that. Silas had taken his ring and his phone, plus his set of keys. The Old One had his wallet with the driver's license, which said he was now nineteen. He had the cash Stefan had been carrying at the time. He had a photograph of Elena.

Had Silas had any trouble getting into the house? A human woman had been invited to reside in the house to look after the place in case both Damon and Stefan were away for some length of time. She was now living there, but she had gone back to Richmond to be with a sick relative. Did Silas need to be invited in or had he been able to just walk in because he was "Stefan" ? If the woman, Mrs. Flowers, had returned, was she in danger from him?

Did Silas spend any time going through Stefan's belongings in his room? Did he read the journals that were there? Did he laugh at what Stefan had recently written about him? Did he, just on a whim, write notations in the newest of the books?

Stefan thought about the eel. If another one came into his "coffin", would he eat it? He suspected he had obtained nutrition from the first one. However, he decided that he would bite the head off and squeeze the blood out before eating a second one. He carefully moved his right leg to the side so that anything coming in the crack would not end up in his pant leg. With nothing going on but the sound of water, he put himself back into deep sleep.

"_Damon, do the sea monsters come onto the land?" __he asked his big brother._

"_What are you talking about? What sea monsters?"_

"_See. They are right here in the book. Isn't this one a dragon?"_

"_That's a drawing of an old map, Stefan. Sailor used to think there were terrible monsters in the ocean. That's why the pictures are there. There aren't any monsters."_

"_There must be or there wouldn't be pictures of them."_

"_No, there aren't any. The biggest creatures out there are whales. Whales don't look anything like that. Except that one right there. That's a whale."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_Because it shows the whale spouting water into the air."_

"_I don't know. I guess it's like spitting."_

"_Do they chew tobacco and spit the juice like some men do?"_

"_No. Where would a whale get tobacco?"_

"_From the store. That's where Papa gets his pipe tobacco."_

"_Whales live in the ocean. They don't come on land and shop at stores."_

"_If this creature is real, why aren't the other ones real?"_

"_They just aren't. Believe me."_

"_I think you are saying that so I won't be scared of the sea monsters."_

"_I'm telling you the truth, Stefan."_

"_I'm gonna go ask Mama."_

"_Go ahead. I don't care." __Damon said in an exasperated tone__. "If you aren't going to believe me, don't bother to ask me. That's my book! You better be careful with it, you little runt!"_

Stefan woke again, thinking about the long-ago conversation. Why did he remember such things when he dreamed? Was he subconsciously wishing Damon would come and save him? Damon had always looked out for him when he was little. Sure, the older brother had teased him, but he had still kept an eye on him when he could. And it seemed like half his education had come from Damon.

There was dim light in the box, which he figured meant it was daylight. He could move his head and see fairly well, although not as much as before because he was lying on his abdomen.

Something had woken him. Had he heard a noise? Was Silas out there?

Silas? Can you hear me? Silas?

There was no answer. But then he heard something moving around outside the box, touching it. What was it? Was the otter back? Was that breathing he heard? Was that a heartbeat? Bubbles! It sounded like scuba equipment! Someone was out there, diving, exploring. Someone had found the box!

Should he send out mental suggestions like he had done with the children who were skipping rocks? Would it scare the person away? Or was it someone who would listen to him and try to help? He had to be careful.

He decided to scratch on the metal side and he did so with his fingernail. At the same time he sent out gentle messages, putting ideas in the person's head. _"Something is alive in there. Maybe it is a poor little otter stuck inside. There must be a hole somewhere that it used to get inside. I should do something to see if I can get it out. This is a big box. I can't move it. Maybe I should go get help to move it and turn it over."_

Because scuba gear was being used, he had to assume the person was human. A vampire didn't need such equipment. Also, a vampire would recognize the mental messages as coming from a supernatural being, like another vampire. There might even be a telepathic response.

But none came. The person spent another few seconds touching the box here and there and then he left. Stefan could hear the heartbeat and the breathing going farther and farther away, going to the surface. Hopefully, going to the surface and for help. There was nothing he could do now but wait.

_A/N I apologize for putting our hero in the toilet again. That's life. Stefan isn't making a lot of progress escaping, but who was outside the box? Will the person come back? Stay tuned, as they used to say. Please review. I need encouragement to come up with more ideas._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

While he waited for the possible return of the scuba diver, Stefan tried to turn over so he would be lying on his back. He didn't want to rock the box and perhaps send it down deeper into the quarry. He slowly wiggled around, but he could only get so far. He had fairly narrow hips and somewhat wide shoulders, like millions of men, but his shoulders were a bit too wide to allow him to turn, even when he hunched them forward and crossed his arms. Human collar bones tended to keep the shoulders from moving close together.

The truth was that, front to back, the box was shallow and didn't allow a man of his size to turn over. It was not that important, so he settled for lying on his stomach. When an hour or so had passed and the diver did not return, he let himself go to sleep. If someone did come back, he knew he would wake up.

Eventually, he rose from the deep sleep of the dead to the dreaming state. Once again, he dreamed of Elena, whom he thought of frequently and missed terribly.

_ "I'm glad we don't have to go to school today__," __Elena said, smiling down at him. She was lying on top of him, bare skin to bare skin. Her breasts pressed against his chest as she rested on her elbows. Her skin was damp with perspiration and there was a warm glow to her face._

_ "Me, too__," __he agreed. He loved the damp heat of her body and the scent of her. Sexual exercise generated quite a bit of it, so it was no wonder she was hot. He had his arms around her back and was stroking her soft skin with his fingers. _

_Often, biting and taking blood went with vampire sex, but Stefan didn't bite Elena, both because he was not on human blood and because he refused to bite her. She trusted him not to do it. That's not to say he didn't feel the urge. He did, but he always suppressed it. A little nip and a little sip wouldn't turn him into the Ripper, but he wasn't taking any chances._

_She wiggled her hips that rested on his pelvis and his body responded._

"_Ready again?" __he asked, grinning at her. He rolled her over so that he was on top this time. Resting on one elbow, he stroked her long hair with the other._

"_Oh, yes," __she murmured and she pressed her lips to his teasingly._

He woke up to the reality of being in cold water and the surface under him was hard and cold and certainly not Elena's soft, hot body. His member, excited by the dream, lost interest, so to speak. However, there was something touching his lips. He opened his eyes and found there was dim light within the box. Daytime. And it was a new school of minnows touching his lips and face. He smiled at them, liking their company, even though he was thinking about swallowing most of them. He delayed doing that.

_What are you smiling about, Stefan? _

_Silas. Came to visit? Or are you checking to see if I am still here?_

_Why wouldn't you still be here?_

_Wishful thinking_. He didn't want to say anything about the diver. In fact, he tried to block thought of the diver from his mind, lest Silas read it. _So why are you here?_

_I wanted to tell you that Elena is expecting a child. Isn't that wonderful news?_

The idea shocked Stefan, but then he thought about it logically.

_That's a lie, Silas. You are just trying to rile me up._

_Why would it be a lie?_

_She's a vampire. She can't get pregnant. If she's sleeping with Damon, he's sterile, too._

_And if she's sleeping with me?_

_I don't know exactly what you are, but I bet you're sterile._

_But you don't know for sure, do you? In fact, you don't even know if Elena is still a vampire._

_If I remember correctly, you told me that someone made Katherine take the "cure" and if that's true, then Elena couldn't have taken it._

_Maybe the "cure" that Katherine swallowed wasn't really what it was supposed to be. After all, who ever tested it?_

Stefan recalled that Rebekah had swallowed what she thought was the "cure" but she had quickly realized that it was a fake. Had another fake been passed around? Damon had given it to Elena; she had tried to give it to Stefan; he had refused it and given it back to her. Was it Elena who had forced Katherine to swallow it? But what if all along, it was not the real one?

_Silas, I don't think I can believe half what you tell me. You're just messing with my head._

_Maybe. Do you want me to discontinue all visits to you?_

_I didn't say that. I'll admit it's nice to talk to someone now and then._

_You have your dreams. They are almost as good as the real thing, don't you think?_

_No. They aren't as good._

_You were enjoying Elena's favors just a short while ago. Remember, I can tap into your dreams if I want to. By the way, I like your body. It came well-equipped, if you know what I mean._

_Glad you like it, _Stefan said with considerable sarcasm. Originally, he had thought that Silas appeared differently to some people because he was able to make the person's mind see him however he wanted. That didn't mean Silas' body actually changed. Now Stefan had to figure that the old one's body really had changed and a whole group of people would see him as Stefan.

Or did Silas have the power to make any number of people see him as Stefan, while in reality, he still had whatever body was the true one? He didn't ask. Silas could tell him anything and he wouldn't know the difference.

_So, you have doubts about me?_

_Of course I have doubts about you, you bastard._

_Of course you do. I just noticed that there are tire tracks here. Has someone been visiting you?_

_I think someone was fishing. I'd hear the plop of a baited hook hitting the water now and then._

_And did you try to contact the fisherman?_

_What's the point? Who would believe someone was alive down here? If a human found me and he was on vervain, how would I convince him that I was not some weird supernatural? A vampire, for instance?_

_I would think you would try anyway. I know you want to escape._

_Of course I want to escape. I told you before I would go far away if you got me out of here._

_I'm not an idiot, Stefan. You could phone Elena or Damon from almost anywhere in the world._

_Almost, but not from everywhere._

_Forget it. You are not going anywhere. So, just settle down. Sleep and dream._

_Are you leaving?_

Silence.

_Silas?_

Silence.

Stefan spent a minute calling Silas various insulting names. He actually spoke a couple of them aloud in his anger, so that his breath bubbles burst forth and rose to the top of the box. He quickly shut his mouth. He didn't need air in his lungs, but he felt the need to keep all he had right there. It kept his chest expanded and reduced the likelihood that he would inhale water. He hated the feeling of drowning.

There was no response from Silas to his tirade, so he didn't waste any more effort on it. The bubbles had dispersed the minnows, but they returned. He considered them his little pets and decided not to eat any of them.

How much time had passed? This question nagged him every time he was awake. He felt his chin. He had slightly more stubble than before, but it was not a good indication of anything, because the hairs didn't grow when he was in the deep sleep of the dead. So, had it been weeks or months? Surely, not a year or more.

If Damon was still in Mystic Falls, couldn't he see anything about his "brother" that would make him suspicious? That first night, when they had agreed that Stefan would drop Silas off at the quarry, Damon had expected Stefan to leave town. The agreement had been that one of them would leave if Elena chose the other. Before Elena became a vampire, she had chosen Stefan, and Damon had left to dispose of Klaus' body. Then everything had changed. She had eventually chosen Damon.

Stefan had packed a bag of belongings with the intent of going away after dumping Silas' body. Damon had known that. He had seen Stefan leave, accompanied by the temporary companionship of Lexi. Damon would not have expected Stefan to return to the house or to hang around Mystic Falls. If Silas had done that, as he claimed, what explanation had he given Damon? What questions had Damon asked?

What if Silas had not gone back to the house? What if he had taken the vehicle that first night and driven away to some other town or another state? It had not occurred to Stefan until now that _everything_ that Silas had told him on the visits had been a lie. Was it possible that all this time Silas had been somewhere else? That he only came back now and then to chat with Stefan and make sure he was still trapped in the quarry? It was an idea that made Stefan feel a wave of nausea and depression. If Silas had gone away, then Damon didn't know he was missing and couldn't even see anything to make him suspicious of his "brother."

These thoughts confused Stefan and made him angry again. He got control of himself and decided that he was wasting his limited energy mulling these ideas over and over in his head. All of it was guessing on his part. Silas kept telling him things that could be true or were total fabrication. Frustrated, Stefan gritted his teeth and concentrated on shutting down. He finally succeeded and once again went into deep sleep.

_A/N Well, we now know from the new episode that three months passed and that Silas was away. He journeyed back once in a while to chat with Stefan and to torment him with false ideas, but apparently he didn't present himself to Damon or the town's people during the summer. And apparently Damon and Elena were quite happy in each other's arms during that same period._

_I hope you all liked this chapter. I will be on vacation for a bit, but I will post the next chapter when I get back. Thanks again to all of you who keep reading and especially to you who make comments._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_A/N I'm back from vacation. Had a nice time driving in parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa. In this chapter Stefan's dream contains a frustrating situation with Damon, Elena and Silas. The chapter contains a sexual situation, but without the explicit details._

He knocked on the closed door to Damon's bedroom. He knew his brother was in there with Elena and he knew what they were doing. He could hear their moans. Well, too bad, interruptions happened. He knocked again.

"_Damon, I have to speak to you."_

"_Not now."_

"_Yes, now."_

"_Stefan, we're busy, if you know what I mean. Go downstairs. I'll be there in a few minutes."_

"_No, you need to come now! You need to see something. Both of you."_

"_Not now, damn it!"_

_He heard Elena giggle__._

"_I'm going to open this door, Damon," __he said, but he found the door locked. That was unusual. Damon almost never locked his door, no matter what he was doing in__his bedroom.__ "Open this damned door, Damon, before I kick it in."_

_He heard muttered curses from inside and the rustle of bed sheets. In a moment, Damon unlocked the door and opened it, an exasperated look on his face. He was not by himself. Elena, clad in one of his long-tailed dress shirts, just like the one Damon was wearing, was clinging to her lover, front to front. Stefan could tell the shirts were open in front, but the lovers were mostly covered down to their upper thighs._

_The problem was that Elena had her legs wrapped around Damon's waist and he was holding her up with his hands on her buttocks. Her arms were around his neck and she was kissing the side of his neck. It shocked Stefan a bit to realize that the two of them were still sexually joined. They were right there in front of him like that! It made him think of a couple of dogs. When Damon's scowl turned to a crooked grin, it made him angry._

"_Come downstairs__," he snapped__. "I need you to see something. It's really important."_

"_Oh, all right," __Damon said. He took a moment to give Elena a pelvic thrust and a little kiss, and then started walking toward the stairs. He didn't put Elena down and she tighten her leg-grip on his body._

_Stefan followed them down the stairs, seething at the display. At least they were not totally naked. However, on the landing, half-way down, Damon did stop to lean Elena back against the wall and do a couple more thrust. Elena moaned as she looked over his shoulder at Stefan. She had a twinkle in her eyes. She was laughing at his discomfort._

_While Stefan had to admire Damon's skill at going down the stairs without losing his place, so to speak, he also had the urge to pull Elena off him. How dare she flaunt her choice of lovers in this way!_

"_Go in the study, Damon,"__ he growled and followed the "beast with two backs" into that room. What he wanted his brother and Elena to see was Silas standing there, a duplicate of himself, Stefan. But Silas moved in a blur to a location that Damon saw, but Elena didn't. She was facing the real Stefan, while Damon faced the other._

"_Look around, Damon. What do you see?"__ He heard the other Stefan speak the same words at the same time._

_Although Damon glanced around, he didn't turn around to look behind him. Elena eyed Stefan and barely glanced at any part of the study._

"_What?"__ Damon demanded. __"I don't know what you want me to see."_

"_There are two of me here! Silas is passing himself off as me! Look around, damn it!"_

_Damon turned around, scanning the room. Stefan could see that Silas remained where he was, a smirk on his face. In a moment, Damon was facing Stefan, while Elena was facing "Stefan." It was obvious that each of them assumed that Stefan himself had moved at vampire speed to the new location. Neither of them realized that there were two different Stefans there._

"_What have you been drinking, brother? Silas isn't here, unless you are Silas, which I don't think you are. Silas is in the bottom of the quarry, Stefan. You put him there. Are you feeling guilty? Is that what this is about?"_

_"No! He's right there looking at Elena! Elena, you see him!"_

_ "I see you, Stefan." __she said because she could see the man in front of her speaking to her._

_ For a moment an odd expression came to Damon's face, but then it was gone and he looked very annoyed._

_ "Enough of this, Stefan. Elena and I have to finish what we are in the middle of, as you can see. So, if you don't want to watch, I suggest you leave the room." __He moved to the big sofa and managed to lay Elena down without disconnecting._

_ Stefan noticed that Silas was gone. Furious, he stormed out of the room, trying to ignore the noises being made behind him. He went out the front door, slamming it behind him and yelling assorted profanities._

He woke from the dream angry and swearing aloud. The result was that he blew out more air from his lungs and suddenly inhaled. He choked and coughed, losing more air and inhaling cold water that slid down his windpipe and into his lungs. He struggled to close his mouth and nose, to fight against coughing. His lungs burned and he desperately wanted to cough. He was drowning, a nasty feeling.

He had drowned before in his long life. Not that it mattered. It didn't kill him because he was already "dead." But it caused a panicky feeling that was probably left over from his human days. Neither humans nor vampires were supposed to have water in their lungs. He knew that once he was out of the water, he could cough up that which was in his lungs and he would be fine. The present problem, however, was not going to go away because he doubted he would get free any time soon. He would have to endure the heavy, stinging pressure now in his chest.

He spent several minutes mentally swearing and trying to calm his nerves. It wasn't easy. He was miserably aware of cold water, very dim light and the hardness of the metal box under his body. Despite the fact that his body had a certain amount of natural floatation because of the air left in his lungs and some gas in his intestines, there just was not much room for floating.

His cheek and ribs and pelvic bones rested on the cold surface, as did his knees and feet, although his shoes protected his toes. His belt buckle pressed against his lower belly. He could change the position of his arms so that he didn't feel pressure points there as much, but each time he woke, his shoulders or elbows were slightly stiff. If he lifted his head several inches, he bumped into the other wall of the shallow box.

Although he didn't normally suffer from claustrophobia, this situation caused a little of it. For the most part, he refused to let it take hold, but at the moment, he could feel it, imagining the box closing in more tightly around him. He began to panic again. He strained to keep control, but it took over, combined with rage at Silas.

He thrashed around, twisting his body one way and then the other and kicking viciously at the wall by his feet. His attempt to break out was futile, but the metal box shifted. He heard it scrape on the stone beneath it. It was going to fall deeper!

Sure enough, it began to tilt. Stefan froze. He didn't want to go deeper. If he landed so he was resting on his head, he would be even more miserable than he was already. He hoped the box would just stop moving and remain where it was.

It tipped over an unseen edge. The scraping sound stopped. His air bubbles that were pressed against the top of the box shifted. The box was silently drifting downward and then it crashed onto stone again. Stefan was jarred as his feet hit the end and he waited for a tumble. It didn't come. He watched the bubbles and could tell which way was "up" by their position. In a moment he realized that the box had stopped with him upright, almost standing, but leaning backward slightly.

The crack at the bottom by his feet was still open. He could see the slight bit of light coming in. He had to guess it was either dawn or dusk. Or perhaps, the deeper he went into the water, the less light would penetrate to his position, even in broad daylight with the sun shining down on the quarry.

His nerves slowly calmed. He needed to rest. He needed not to feel the heavy, stinging pressure in his chest or his anger and panic. He needed to shut out all this mess. With effort, he put himself back into deep sleep.

_Stefan. Are you awake? _came Silas' voice.

_I am now_.

Stefan had been woken from his deep sleep and was a bit groggy. He stifled the urge to cough and tried to ignore the discomfort in his chest. In his sleep, he had sagged down so that his knees were bent and were pressing against the front of the metal safe. He stood himself up straight.

_Good. I came to see how you are doing. Again._

_How kind of you. What is the date now?_

_What difference does it make to you? You aren't going anywhere._

_I'd like to know._

_It's late August._

_Has it only been three months?_

_It seems like forever, doesn't it? Wait until years go by. It's maddening._

_Is that why you are so screwed up?_

_I'm fine, Stefan._

_Is Damon still gone?_

_Yes. That's good for me. I have Elena to myself. Of course her annoying brother is at the house, too._

_Jeremy? Didn't Jeremy go back to the Other Side?_

_Apparently not. I saw him._

This comment surprised Stefan and made him think. If Silas was staying with Elena as he claimed, then he should be seeing a lot of Jeremy. But it sounded like he only saw him once. Was Silas lying? Stefan felt that his suspicions were confirmed. Was it possible Silas was not with Elena at the house? Was it possible Damon was with her? If so, where had Silas been?

_Did Theo Flowers come back? _he asked, wondering if the woman, who was supposed to manage the big house, had returned from Richmond.

_No, he hasn't come back_.

He? Silas didn't know Theo Flowers was a woman! Surely Elena would have mentioned her sometime during the summer if Silas was with her. With Stefan in the quarry, Damon away and Elena planning to go to college, someone needed to run the big house. It was not likely that Jeremy would do it, if indeed Jeremy was alive and not a ghost.

_That's strange. Did Elena say anything about why Theo hasn't come back?_

_No. What difference does it make if he doesn't?_

_None, I suppose. What about Matt Donovan?_

_The young fellow from the Grill? He left town with the Original girl Rebekah._

_What? You are lying to me._

_No, I'm not. I overheard that they went to Europe._

_You know what, Silas? I think you are lying to me. Feeding me a bunch of bull. You can tell me anything and I have no way of telling what is true and what is not. I probably shouldn't believe one thing you have told me on your visits._

_You said that before, but you aren't sure, are you? Believe me or not, that's your choice. All right, I'll admit I have lied to you about some things. But I have also told the truth about others. You, my shadow self, have no way of knowing which is which. Why don't you mull that over for a while?_

_I hate you, you know. You should have stayed dead and out of my life._

Silence.

_Silas?_

Silence.

He mentally muttered curses, but he was careful not to speak aloud and let more water into his lungs. After some time of thinking over various possibilities and not reaching any real conclusion, he put himself back into deep sleep.

_A/N While I was on vacation I was able to watch the new episodes, so I know Stefan got out of the "coffin." I am confused about who released him. Damon asked the sheriff to send down divers. Did they bring up the box? Qetsiyah later said she brought about Stefan's release. Who did what? Please tell me your opinion on that question if you review this chapter. Thanks._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N Stefan's imprisonment continues as he sleeps, dreams and suffers from hunger and drowning. Thanks everyone for reading and for comments.**

Eventually, he came up from his deep sleep and dreamed again.

"_What are you worried about, Stefan?"_ Lexi stood beside him on the dock, her arm around his upper arm. Moonlight played over the ripples in the harbor.

"_I don't know. I look at this ship and I worry that it could sink. Both of us could end up trapped in a sinking ship, buried alive deep in the ocean. Or I might end up swimming forever around in the Atlantic."_

"_Stefan, it's 1882. Today's steamers don't often sink. Rarely, anyway. I've been across the Atlantic four times, over and back, and I'm still here. You'll love Europe. I know you will."_

"_I'm sure I will. If I get there." __Instead of being excited about the trip, he was apprehensive and he wasn't sure why._

"_You'll get there. We will get there."_

"_I wish you were going to be with me all the time."_

"_I'll be with you at night if I can get out of the coffin. If they don't pack me away in the hold under a lot of other freight."_

"_I've requested that the coffin be handled carefully so it does not get all scratched_ _up. Hopefully, you will be able to open it_." He knew special locks inside and outside the nice coffin would keep anyone from peeking inside and yet she would not truly be locked in.

Tied to the dock, the big vessel slowly moved with fluctuations in the water. Oil lamps here and there lighted parts of the decks. He'd been on coastal vessels and river boats plenty of times, but going out into the vast ocean seemed unnerving. How brave the early explorers had been to sail into the unknown.

The two vampires walked along the dock and left the waterside area. They had most of the night yet to be together. They went to an inn where they had drinks and some food to eat. Then they prowled about the warehouses looking for something to snack on. Lexi did not drink human blood and she had taught Stefan not to do so either. Animal blood kept him on an even keel, so to speak.

What they found were wharf rats, feral cats and a few stray dogs. Feeding on small animals usually killed the little beasts. They did also come upon a horse tied up in a shed. The docks used many horses to move heavy cargo, but a lot of the horses were stabled elsewhere or locked up for security.

Stefan watched Lexi neatly feed from the horse, which did not hurt the animal. When she was finished, she smiled and patted the mare. He then carefully bit into the animal's neck and took some blood, although he didn't overdo it.

"_That should hold us for quite some time," __she said__. "Even if I can't get out of the coffin. We had best go and I'll get inside my comfy box. You were told to have the coffin at the dock early."_

"_I know,"_

Two hours later, as dawn brightened the eastern sky, Stefan watched the coffin being loaded onto the boat and carefully lowered into the hold. If he had had a larger cabin, he could have insisted the coffin be with him, but that was not the case. He had money, but Lexi had insisted that she be put into the cargo hold. So there she went.

When he finally boarded the ship as a passenger, he looked down at the oily green water and felt a return of his apprehension. He definitely did not want to sink down into that water or to end up swimming around endlessly before ever being rescued or reaching land. He also eyed the smoke coming from the smokestacks. Some steamships still had masts and sails, but this one didn't. Here and there in the harbor and against the docks were older sailing ships, still used to carry cargo. But the passenger vessels headed for Europe were steam-powered and fast. Stefan thought that Columbus and the other early explorers would have loved that.

Finally, the steam horn blasted and the hawsers were released and the ship eased away from the dock with the help of smaller boats.

"_We are off to England, Lexi. God willing."_

He woke to the chill of the water in his "coffin." and his first thought was that the ship had sunk. He needed to swim to the surface, but as he reached out his arms, his hands hit metal with a ringing _thunk. _Then we remembered where he was. It took him a minute to calm himself. Having slumped down in his sleep, he straightened up,

The dream came back to him vividly. He knew that it had really been a fairly accurate memory. He and Lexi really had taken a passenger steamship from New York to England. Lexi had been able to exit her coffin most nights and they had spent a nice time on the voyage with only one day of rain, wind and rollings seas. They had then been in the British Isles and on the Continent for four years before returning to the United States. They had even visited Florence in Italy where his Salvatore grandparents had lived before they went to America.

Now, here he was stuck in a metal box, a safe he could not get out of . Looking around, he could see fairly well because dim light was coming in from the crack down by his feet. It was daytime.

Looking upward, he noticed assorted bubbles just above his head. He knew where they came from. Not from his lungs when he had panicked before and exhaled, but from his intestines. He smiled slightly as he wondered what Elena would think if she knew many vampires passed gas even when they slept for long periods of time. It was produced by decomposing food in the intestines and also by the bowel bacteria that managed to live in the vampire gut. Only those vampires who never consumed anything but human blood failed to produce much gas.

And why was he thinking about farting, anyway? There had to be more interesting things than that to occupy his mind.

He pressed a hand firmly against the metal in front of him. If he had access to a good meal of human blood, it was possible he could smash his way out of the box, but this was not the case. He knew he was weaker. Time was passing and he had nothing to eat. He could drink water, but that gave him no strength. He ran his hands over his body, feeling the looseness of his clothing and belt. His body was gaunt. He knew his skin was gray. And probably very wrinkled from being in the water.

_Klaus, I'm sorry we wanted to do this to you. You are a damned ornery bastard, but I don't think you deserved something like this. I'm relieved now that you escaped that fate, _he thought.

His thoughts went back to Lexi. _I owe you so much, Lexi. You taught me so many things. You helped me stop my vicious feeding. I was so addicted to the thrill of it and the giving in to the other things that I felt when I attacked. The Ripper would get so damned hungry and horny as hell and savagely cruel. Little by little, you helped me get_ _control and stop such behavior. You taught me to feed from animals until that blood was enough to meet my needs for nutrition and to dampen my desire for human blood. _

_I always thought I had a naturally gentle nature and you helped me recapture that. You taught me to hold onto my humanity. Although you wouldn't have sex with me, you taught me how to do it without being a rapist. You made me almost like a decent human being again._

She had insisted that he never convert a virgin into a vampire because it was cruel. The healing ability of a vampire caused a virgin to go right back to being a virgin within a half hour of intercourse. For most females, being "deflowered" hurt and would hurt every time for the healed vampire. However, Lexi also told him how he could help a girl or woman vampire get around this situation. It had to do with inserting something of appropriate size and leaving it there for more than the half hour, so that healing wouldtake place around it, thus leaving her open. He always suspected that Lexi had experienced the pain of repeated healings of that kind, so she knew what she was talking about. Informational gems such as this had stayed with Stefan down through the decades.

He heard a scratching sound on the outside of the box and his heart started beating with hope. He made it stop. What was out there? He prayed it was a person, someone who would see that the box was a safe and who would wonder if there was money or other valuables inside. He started sending mental waves of curiosity to encourage the person.

He heard the sounds of the locking handles being touched, but they were not turned. As a couple of minutes passed, he knew it was not a person. It was probably the otter that had visited him before. That was disappointing, but it was also sort of exciting to have any visitor at all besides the minnows that came and went. If fish could be suspicious and wary, his minnows were, perhaps because now and then he ate any he could. And no more eels had come.

The animal outside moved toward the lower part of the box and finally reached the crack. Stefan watched and saw its little nose and whiskers. Did otters sniff in some way underwater? Did they taste the water? Did they sense other living things in the water? He saw the nose withdraw and a paw came in to reach around. He moved his foot a little so that the otter could feel it. The paw explored his shoe, patting it, trying to grasp it. Stefan silently grinned, enjoying this other living animal. A wave of disappointment washed over him when the paw withdrew and the animal went away.

He was once again feeling sorry for himself when he heard a splash, a rather big one. Because of the depth of water he was in, he couldn't hear what was happening up on the surface. Sound carried underwater, but mostly what he heard was the high hum that seemed to occur constantly underwater. He knew when the waterfall was running after a heavy rain and occasionally he thought he heard quarry rocks slipping and thumping to a lower lever. Now and then, he heard what he thought was cracking in the rock and he knew when the rain was accompanied by thunder, which rumbled through rock and water.

He thought he heard screams and he knew for certain that he heard panicked thoughts. Someone had fallen into the water and could not swim. The person was about to drown! There was nothing Stefan could do physically, but he sent mental messages like _Kick your feet! Use your arms to swim like a dog!_

_I can't! My feet and hands are tied! There's a weight tied to me! Help me! Where are you! Help! I'm being murdered! I'm drowning! Oh, God, I can't hold my breath any longer! I have to breath and I'll drown. Gotta inhale. Lungs burning! Help me!_

Stefan felt helpless and frustrated and he had to fight his own urge to inhale. He didn't want anymore water in his chest. He hit his fists against the metal to no avail. He listened to the frantic thoughts until they faded and were gone. He had been witness to a murder, but he had no idea who had thrown the victim into the quarry. He didn't even know who the victim was. He should have asked, but perhaps the fellow would not have told him in his terror.

His efforts had used up more of his energy. He felt weaker. If someone didn't rescue him soon and feed him blood, he would be in a pathetic state for a long time. To halt the process, he needed to go back into deep sleep and hibernate, so to speak. In a few moments he was there.

_Hello? Hello? Are you dead, too?_

The voice brought Stefan back up to consciousness. He opened his eyes and all was dark and wet. He was still in his cold grave. He straightened up from his slump and wiggled a bit. Had he been dreaming? Hadn't he heard a voice?

_Hello? _he asked tentatively_._

_Oh, good. You heard me._

_Who are you? _Stefan asked, knowing he was hearing the voice inhis head_._

_Albert Rosen. M.D. Who are you?_

**A/N I hope you like this chapter. Stefan seems to have new company. Please comment. Thanks.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_Stefan Salvatore. Where are you? _Stefan asked of the stranger who seemed to be right outside the box. How could that be? His hopes of a rescue soared.

_I'm not sure. I mean, I know this is a quarry and I was drowned here. Murdered. I think I am dead, but I am also here. I mean, my body is over there and I am here talking to you. I'm confused._

_You aren't some kind of supernatural being, are you? I mean, some such don't completely die if drowned. _Stefan's hope of rescue faded a bit.

_No, I never was. I think I may be a ghost of my former self. Does that make sense? A lot of people believe that when a person dies a violent death, their ghost hangs around. Do you believe that?_

_Yes, actually I do. I mean, I believe in ghosts. So, you are the person who was thrown into the quarry with a weight tied to you?_

_Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm free of my ropes now. My body is still down there, tied up and starting to decompose. I suppose no one will ever find me unless body parts float to the surface. My family will never know what happened to me! My wife passed on, but I have children and a grandchild. I haven't been able to leave this quarry even as a ghost. I suppose I am bound here forever._

_Why were you murdered?_

_I was witness to another murder. The criminal hired someone to make me disappear, as they say. Why are you here in that safe?_

_My situation is somewhat similar. Someone wanted me to disappear so they could pretend to be me._

_Now you are a ghost, too. How old are you? Were you?_

_I'd like to say seventeen or eighteen, but it would be a lie. I'll tell you the truth, Albert. I'm not totally dead. I'm a vampire._

_Oh, dear! Well, what the hell, I guess you can't kill me since I'm already dead. I never believed in vampires as being real. Just popular characters in books and movies, you know. So, someone locked you in a safe so you can't get out. It must not be as comfortable as your regular coffin, huh?_

_I don't sleep in a coffin. I use a regular bed. And no, this is not comfortable. I'm in a constant state of drowning. Any chance you can open the door to this thing?_

_I doubt it, but I'll try. _After a long moment of silence, he spoke again_. No, I can't do anything. I'm sorry. _

_It's all right. Thanks for trying._

_How long have you been in there?_

_I'm not sure. Months, I think. What month and year is it now?_

_When I was thrown in here, it was August, 2013. It may be later now, but not much._

_I've been in here since June._

_It doesn't harm you physically?_

_It does. I'm starving, but I won't die. I mean, I'll continue to exist as a vampire, but in a weakened state. What bothers me the most is the damned water that I got in my lungs. It burns. Hurts. Makes me feel like I am drowning on and on. I hate it!_

_A terrible feeling, I know. I experienced it briefly, but I clearly remember how it felt. In a living human that can lead to pneumonia. If the person survives drowning, I mean._

_I'll survive, but what good does it do me? I'm stuck here until someone finds this damned safe. _

_How awful for you. I wish I could help._

_Have you made any attempt to contact any living person? _Stefan asked, hoping this ghost could go for help.

_I have been up to the rim of the quarry, but I can't seem to go any further. Some children came and also a fisherman, but I didn't have any luck communicating with them. I don't know how. They can't see me or hear me._

_I know someone who can see ghosts and talk to them, _Stefan said, thinking of Jeremy_. He was killed, but I heard that he came back to life. He's a young man, tall, nice-looking, dark hair and dark eyes. Sad eyes. If you see him up on the rim, talk to him._

_Is he likely to come here?_

_No. But if he does…_

_I understand. Look, Stefan, I have to go. I get pulled back to my body. I stay near it, but I have been exploring and I found you. I …_

There was silence.

_Albert? Dr. Mason? Was that your name? I forgot your name. Please come back as soon as you can._

The sudden loss of his visitor felt overwhelming to Stefan. He was so in need of companionship that it almost hurt to have one come and then go away. There was a acute feeling of abandonment. He gritted his teeth and told himself that his situation was better. There was another entity in the quarry with whom he could talk. He desperately hoped Albert would come back again.

He hoped Silas would come back. Even the otter. Even though he was not the most social person, always seeking to be surrounded by people, he had never been a real loner. To be cut off from all contact was torture. Sure, he tried to use his mind to go way beyond his jail, to remember people and places, to mentally revisits interesting towns and cities, to try to recall stories he had read. He loved books, old movies and new video games. And he had none of them here in his grave.

He was not one to walk around with music constantly coming through ear buds, but he certainly missed having any music. He was tired of the constant buzz of the water and the sound of cracking rock. He wished he could talk out loud to himself, to hear his own voice, but to do so would just suck more water into his lungs.

It was interesting that his vampire body was doing its best to rid his lungs of water. It absorbed it into his tissues and vascular system, but there was no air to replace the water. It led to two things, either a tight, constricting of his chest or the inhaling of more water, giving him the drowning feeling again. Either occurrence caused pain or at least real discomfort. The absorption of a lot of water meant his kidneys eventually had to work and he had to urinate into his box. At this point, he didn't care.

Some of his dreams were sexual and resulted in his being stimulated. He could reach his groin and, despite the coldness of the water, he did get some pleasant relief there, if he worked at it. For the most part, fantasies of being with Elena helped him accomplish this.

Although there was some exchange of water from the outside through the crack in the box down by his feet, for the most part, the water in the safe was not very clean. Again, he didn't care anymore.

_Stefan, are you awake?_

_Yes, Silas. What's up?_ He pretended not to be excited by the Old One's visit. He tried not to think about the ghost. He didn't want Silas to do anything about Albert, like somehow chase him away.

_Nothing exciting, but I'm thinking of shaking things up soon. Set Mystic Falls on its ear, so to speak. _There was a hint of amusement in Silas' voice_._

_What are you going to do_? Stefan asked with some alarm_._

_I'm not going to tell you._

_Is Damon in town? Is Elena going to go to college?_

_Damon's in town. Elena is going to go to college. See, I _am_ bringing you up date on what's going on._

_And Caroline and Bonnie, too?_

_I told you the witch is dead._

_I don't believe you. _It occurred to him that if Bonnie was dead, her ghost shouldhave come and found him. But maybe not. Why would she know where he was?

_Now, now. I am trying to be honest with you and you don't believe me. I'm hurt._

_Why don't you be honest with my brother and tell him you are not me?_

_What would be the point of that? It would just set him against me and he would then be obsessed with trying to find you._

_He hasn't noticed I'm missing? I mean, he and Elena must have tried to contact me at some time. It's not like I left angry and would refuse to talk to either of them on the phone._

_Why would they think you are missing? Am I not you, walking around and talking to people?_

_You damned son of a bitch!_

_Tsk, tsk! Calling me names. Insulting my dear mother. Shame on you. _

_I'm not insulting your mother! I'm insulting you._

_You called my mother a female dog._

_No, I didn't. _

_A bitch is a female dog, is it not?_

_Yes, it is, but what I called you is just a common insulting phrase._

_Reflecting an opinion of my mother. Apologize._

_All right! Jeez. I apologize._

_Thank you. In retrospect, my mother was an egotistical, controlling bitch._

Stefan mentally groaned_._

Silas continued_. Actually, I've been out of town for quite some time. After all, you provided me with a duffle bag of clothes and I had your money and your ring. The world today is most fascinating. Planes, trains and automobiles! Televisions, 3-D movies and iPhones. We Romans were advanced, but we would never have imagined what exists today. Well, I am off. I'll update you later__. Sayonara__._

_Silas, wait a minute! Talk to me._

Silence

Stefan muttered curses, but only in his head, of course.

_Albert? Doctor?_

Silence. Alone again. Naturally. He told himself to be glad for Silas' visit and the likelihood that Albert would come to him again. But, in truth, he felt more alone after a visit. More abandoned.

_Elena! Damon! Please look for me. I need you to find me. I think I'll go crazy if I spend a lot longer in this watery grave!_

**A/N Stefan would be better off emotionally if he stayed in deep sleep, but he keeps waking up. Much more interesting, don't you think?**


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

**A/N Thanks goes out to you all who are reading this story and to those making comments. Love you.**

_ Stefan? Do you hear me? _The voice was almost a mental whisper.

_ Yes, Albert, _Stefan said, getting a grip on his emotions and glad for the distraction.

_ Good. I saw him. Your visitor. A young fellow. Not the one you described._

_ That was Silas, who put me in here. What he looks like is what _I_ look like. As if we were twins._

_ As if, but not?_

_ No! He can make himself look like me. He's very dangerous, Albert. Don't let him become aware of you._

_ What is he? I mean, is he a vampire?_

_ I'm not sure what he is anymore. He is immortal. He used to be a witch. Maybe he still is one. As for being a vampire, I just don't know. But he's dangerous. Don't let him see you._

_ With my being a ghost, I don't see how he can see me anyway._

_ I'm serious, Albert. Don't let him see you or hear you._

_ Why did he come here? Does he think you are going to escape?_

_ For the most part, I think he comes to taunt me._

_ That's rather cruel._

_ And he lies to me, so I don't know what is going on with my brother or the girl we both love._

_ You both love her? Isn't that awkward?_

_ Very. She was mine, but recently, she fell for him._

_ Bummer!_

Stefan found this exclamation humorous and not what he expected from a doctor. He smiled in his box.

_ Yeah, it is. I hoped she would choose me, but I just want her to be happy. However, my brother has a roving eye, if you know what I mean._

_ Oh? So, maybe if you wait long enough, she'll toss him aside and she'll come back to you?_

_ Maybe. But here I am. Not exactly available._

_ Is your brother a normal person or a vampire like you?_

_ He's like me. We were turned over 150 years ago. Near the end of the Civil War._

_ That's incredible! Were you both soldiers?_

_ He was. I was just reaching the age where I could have joined the army. Things didn't turn out like I thought they would._

_ Do they ever? I certainly didn't expect to be down here chatting with you._

_ I'm sorry you were murdered, Albert, but I appreciate your company._

_ And I yours. Can I assume you vampires spend some time talking to ghosts? I would think that would allow you to solve some murders._

_ No, not really. We don't normally have the ability to talk to ghosts._

_ Then why are we chatting away like a couple of guys who meet at a party?_

_ I'm not sure. I suspect it might be because we were mentally talking when you were dying._

_ You mean the telepathy connection didn't break when I died? Interesting._

_ Plus the fact that I am sort of dead, too. Being a vampire, I mean._

_ I've never examined a vampire as a physician. Why do you call yourself dead now? You seem quite awake, alert, thinking, alive._

_ Well, my heart is not beating right now and I certainly am not breathing. My skin color is probably on the grayish side. My body is probably as cold as this water through and through. When I'm awake like this, my mind is using energy. Same thing if I move around. I try not to move around much. If I put myself into deep vampire sleep, I'm essentially dead._

_ I see. Very interesting, Stefan. So, unlike my body over there, yours is not going to rot and disintegrate._

_ I certainly hope not._

_ Do you … I have to go, Stefan. I'll come back soon._

_ All right. 'Til then, Albert._

Stefan spent some time thinking about what Silas had said and what Albert had said. He wasn't glad that Albert had been murdered, but he wasn't sorry either. It meant a lot to him to have company.

He tried to run through what Silas had said. The imposter had been traveling and was spending his money. Was he running up his debt on a credit card? He hadn't mentioned a credit or debit card. Maybe Silas didn't know what to do with a card. Of course, in three months he had probably figured out what it was for and how to use it. So, was he also paying the credit card bill or was he letting the interest and late charges pile up?

Or was he using the debit card and going through the money Stefan had in the bank for that card? Surely he didn't know the PIN number, so he couldn't hit the ATM machines. Or had he chosen a new number? The total in the account was generous, although not unlimited. Most of Stefan's wealth, as well as Damon's, was looked after by the Salvatore Trust, so Silas was not able to get to that. The Trust was familiar with the spending habits of the brothers and would get suspicious of odd spending. Or not.

Something suddenly touched his right ankle and he jumped. In fact, he gasped. In came more water into his mouth and down his windpipe. He snapped his mouth shut and cursed and struggled not to cough and make things worse. Once again his lungs felt like they were burning and his chest ached. He wanted to inhale, expand his lungs and let his ribs come to a normal resting place. Instead, it was as if he had exhaled and then held his breath that way. It was very uncomfortable. The alternative was to just fill his lungs with water, even if it was more uncomfortable. There was not happy medium in this case.

What had touched his ankle? He looked down and in the dim light by the crack saw the paw of the otter. He wasn't angry at the otter for startling him, but he certainly wasn't happy about it. And then the otter did an odd thing. It pushed a fair-sized fish in through the crack. Stefan eyed the fish and decided it was dead. The otter had killed it, but instead of eating it, the animal was sharing!

Stefan quickly sent a mental feeling of pleasure to the animal in hopes that it would repeat the act. The furry creature went away. Stefan watched the floating fish. It was down by his feet and he needed to get it up to where he could grasp it. This took some maneuvering by his legs. Sometimes the fish moved upward and sometimes it sank downward. It was frustrating. All this movement was using Stefan's energy reserve, but he worked at it. A fish would help restore some energy.

Finally, he got the fish in his left hand and brought it up to his mouth. Just as the otter would, he used his teeth to tear into the flesh, chewing and swallowing and spitting out any bones. It was not red meat or nourishing blood, but it was real food, real protein.

The otter caught another fish and brought it to the box. The animal stuffed it in though the crack and Stefan rewarded it with another feeling of pleasure. This time the fish was wounded, but not dead. Frantic, it swam around in the confined space, bumping into Stefan over and over while he tried to catch it. He finally caught it when it got behind his head and he pinned it there with his skull. When he grasped it, it left a fishy slime and some scales in his hair. He ate it with gusto.

His rewarding of the smart otter had a down side. The otter caught several more fish and pushed them into the box. Stefan was exhausted, despite the food, and he had to stop trying to catch these fish. He realized why the otter was bringing him too much food, so he stopped the pleasure feeling. A few more fish arrived before the otter quit.

So, there was Stefan, confined in his "coffin" with several fish, some dead at his feet and some swimming awkwardly around his body. He eventually caught and ate a couple of the swimmers, but the others would rot at his feet, fouling the water. Weary and depressed, despite the food, Stefan put himself into deep sleep again.

"_Stefan, don't come in the water there. It's too deep. Go around to that spot over there," __nine-year-old Damon said as he stood in the pond water up to his chest._

"_No. I wanna swim here wit you and Billy."_

"_It's not safe. You can't swim yet."_

"_Yes, I can, Damin."_

"_Don't argue with me. Go over there."_

"_No."_

"_You miserable little brat! All right, I'll come get you and we'll both go over there," __Damon said as he waded up out of the pond water and moved toward the small child standing at the edge of the grass__._

"_I wanna swim here! Ow! You hurting my arm. I don't wanna swim over dere!"_

"_You can't swim! You don't know how. You'll drown."_

"_No, I won't!"_

"_You don't even know what drowning is__," the older boy said as he dragged his little brother over by a shallow spot._

"_Yes, I do. It mean get wet on my face."_

"_It means getting water in your nose and mouth and not being able to breath and coughing real hard."_

"_I can do dat if you can."_

"_Don't argue with me. Look, this is a safe place. You have to take your clothes off."_

"_I gots my shoes off."_

"_All your clothes. Look at me and Billy. Do we have clothes on?"_

"_No. Dey over on da grass."_

"_Hold still while I get you undressed. And don't you poop in the water."_

"_Aw right," __little Stefan said. He soon stood naked in the hot summer air._

"_I'll go in first and then you come to me."_

"_Wait for me, Damin."_

"_I'm right here. Come on. No! Don't jump in!"_

"_Aaaaah! Da water's cold!"_

"_Of course it's cold. That's why we're in here on this blistering hot day."_

"_You didn't tell me it cold! I wanna get out!"_

"_Why am I not surprised? Be careful! Don't fall down!" __Stefan stumbled and__fell, momentarily going under the surface. Damon grabbed him and stood him up.__ "I got you. You're all right. Just a facefull of water."_

"_I go tell Mama I drownded! I gots water in my nose! You let me get drownded!" __little Stefan sputtered and cried as he struggle back up the slope to the grass._

"_You aren't drowned! Come back here. Don't you dare tell Mama I let to drown. You little brat!"_

_Coughing on some water that ran down the back of his throat from his nose, Stefan heard his brother's words, but he wanted to be reassured by his mother. Mama always soothed things and made them right again._

"_Mama! Mama, I drownded!"_

**A/N Stefan was about 2 1/2 years old at the time this happened. Jealous of the attention his parents gave the little child, Damon was not very loving to him when he was that small.**


End file.
